The KON Virus
by werewolf242002
Summary: AU! The K-ON girls fight their way from safety zone to safety zone trying desperately to survive in the apocalyptic world full of flesh eating zombies! Inspired by the L4D2 K-On Mod! Azusa/Yui, Mio/Ritsu, Mugi/Nodoka, and Jun/Ui! Warning: Character Death!
1. Just The Beginning

The K-ON Virus

Notes: So, I have been playing Left 4 Dead for the last few months and I've been messing around with a mod that changes the characters into K-ON characters. Now I did read a story recently from someone who did a K-ON zombie fic, but wasn't entirely happy with how the story turned out. I don't like my K-ON characters dying horrible deaths…so I am writing my own! The story will be mature for blood, gore, and other mature situations, and I will try to keep all the characters in character…but you never know how those zombie apocalypses will change a person. AU where zombies exist and the girls haven't graduated yet.

* * *

Just the Beginning

_Ring ring-_

_Ring ring-_

"Onee-chan, it's time for school!"

Blankets shifted as a hand quickly shot out and smacked the top of the offending and annoying alarm before it disappeared back under the blankets. It was too cold outside of the warm comforter and the girl underneath had no intentions of moving from them. Even as her sister walked into the room and shook her prone form she shook it off and tried desperately to go back to sleep.

"Onee-chan! Stop being stubborn, you have school!"

Finally the brunette shot up from her slumber, hair sticking up in a crazy manner, as she shot her sister a sleepy glance.

"Mou, Onee-chan, you're going to be late!"

"Ui…?"

"Hurry up, get dressed and go brush your hair." Ui said sternly as she pushed the half-asleep girl out of bed and towards the bathroom.

* * *

After finally waking up and getting dressed for school, Yui Hirasawa let out a loud yawn as she grabbed a piece of jammed toast before heading out with her sister, Ui, to school. The two sisters walked side by side as the older looked up towards the sky in a daze. It was almost over, high school was almost done and she had been so busy the last few weeks she hadn't gotten any time to herself or to be with her friends. Well, that wasn't true. Yui had been hanging out with her friends almost constantly, but it wasn't the fun hanging out. All they did lately was study for college entrance exams and it was starting to depress the usually energetic girl.

"Ne, Ui?"  
"Hai?"

"I don't like growing up…it's too hard. Can I go back to being in kindergarten?" Yui asked as she instantly clung to her sister's arm while whimpering softly. The younger, but more mature sibling, chuckled softly before patting her older sister on the head.  
"Mou, Onee-chan…everyone has to grow up sometime. You'll get use to it eventually." Ui replied as she sighed softly. "But hey, you shouldn't be too sad…you have wonderful friends that you'll be going to college with."  
"…Well that's true. I'm sorry I guess I'm just stressed out." Yui admitted as she let go of her sister and stretched her arms out towards the sky while sighing softly.

"I hope Mugi-chan brought yummy snacks today~"  
Ui chuckled softly at this before continuing their walk to school silently.

When the finally reached the lockers Yui let out a happy gasp when she saw her most favorite kouhai kneeling down to put on her indoor shoes. Taking this opportunity, Yui snuck up behind the distracted younger girl before full on glomping her, holding her tiny frame in her arms as the girl let out a startled "Nya!" before quickly regaining her balance before snapping her head around to look daggers at her senpai.

"Yui-senpai!"

"Good morning, Azunyan~" Yui purred out as she began to rub the side of her head against Azusa's while hugging the kouhai tightly. After a moment of struggling the rhythmic guitarist finally got out of the vice grip and brush herself off before glaring at the airhead.

"Mou, can you try to be a little more mature, Yui-senpai…you're about to graduate."  
"Well, that may be true, but I am still me. And you love me like I am right?"  
The twintailed girl opened her mouth to retort but the bell began to ring and she sighed softly as Yui gasped and quickly took off her shoes to put on her indoor shoes before running to class.  
"I'll see you after school Azunyan!"

"Hai hai…" Azusa waved as she watched the brunette disappear upstairs before she turned and walked with Ui to their classroom.

* * *

The day went by rather slowly for Yui as she gazed longingly outside at the trees that were slowly change colors to their fall colors. Chocolate eyes scanned the streets and skies while the teacher rambled on and on about something, she wasn't really paying attention.

"Yui, pay attention, these things are important."

She heard her childhood friend, Nodoka, whisper when she noticed Yui staring off into space.

"A-Ah, sorry sorry." Yui whispered back before turning her eyes to the teacher. She briefly wondered about Azusa, her cute little kouhai. A smile graced her lips as she closed her eyes and began to think about how wonderful it felt to hug her. Azusa was always a wonderful subject to think about when she really didn't want to listen to the lectures, sure the kouhai had a sharp edge to her, but no one else seemed to be able to calm her down like Yui could. Not to mention that lately, Yui had been feeling a bit differently towards Azusa, the lead guitarist found herself staring at those hips as she walked, staring into the glaring eyes when she was getting scolded, and even noticing that she had grown a little around the chest area recently.

Yui began to blush as she thought that before she shook her head and tried once more to focus on the teacher. She hated that she couldn't stay focused on what was important.

_Well, Azunyan is very important to me…I guess it isn't a bad thing to think about her from time to time…_

Part of Yui's mind argued as little visions of the kouhai smiling at her flashed in her mind. She really did like thinking about her, so maybe just this once, she would block out everything except that beautiful smile.

"Yui! You didn't take down any notes? Mou, you're worse then me."  
"You didn't write anything useful down Ritsu, just drew a bunch of random doodles…what is this one suppose to be?" Mio asked as she pointed to a rather silly looking picture of something with a pig nose.

"Ton-chan."  
"Ah…"  
"Anyways, why have you been spacing out so much recently?" Nodoka asked causing everyone to get back on subject. They had all noticed Yui's lack of interest in the lessons that day and decided to talk to her after school was over as they walked to the clubroom.

"N-No reason!" Yui said defensively as she rubbed the back of her head nervously. "I think after all the studying my brain is just not able to process anymore information!"

"That's a lame excuse…" Nodoka said before she stopped to go a seprate way then the Light Music Club. "In any case, I'll see you later Yui." She bowed to the rest of the group before turning to head to the student council room.

"Now that Nodoka is gone, will you tell us the real reason for your odd behavior…well odder then normal anyways." Ritsu asked as she looked straight into those chocolate eyes.

Yui began to look anywhere but those bold golden eyes as she chuckled nervously.  
"R-Really, it's just stress!"

"What are you doing senpai?"

Yui's heart jumped happily when she spotted the young kouhai on the stairs, obviously on her way to the clubroom as well before she noticed her seniors all standing still as well as in the middle of the road.

"Azunyan!"

"A-Ah, No don't Yui-senp-ACK!"

All protests died as Azusa once again found herself in the tight hug. She didn't know why, but recently Yui had been giving her more hugs then normal, and even though she really didn't mind them it was still embarrassing.

"Y-Yui-senpai, we need to get to the clubroom and practice!"

"Hang on, I needs my Azunyan energy recharged~"  
"Mou!"

After they all finally made it up the stairs and started getting their instruments ready, Ritsu couldn't help herself, she had to see what everyone thought of the latest bit of news she saw this morning on the television.

"So, did you all hear about that new flu virus that's out?"  
"You mean the one that is already at pandemic proportions?" Tsumugi asked as she plugged in her keyboard. "I heard a little bit about it from my father, but he is in Finland right now so he doesn't have much else to go by other then phone calls and news papers."  
"It's nothing serious." Mio said as she pulled her bass on her shoulders. "It's just the media blowing things out of proportion again…by the end of this month, they'll have something new to report on and no one will remember this flu."  
"Don't your parents have it Mio?" Ritsu asked, looking slightly worried at her childhood friend. When she didn't reply Ritsu gave her a small smile. "Mine have it too, and it seems Satoshi is a little sick as well."

"Yeah? I hope they get better…do they have vaccines out yet for it?"  
"Not that I've heard of, Mio-senpai. They seem pretty baffled by these flu symptoms." Azusa said as she sat down on the bench and began to play a few notes, checking the tuning before Yui sat down next to her.  
"What's this about the flu?" Yui asked as she laid her head on Azusa's shoulder, earning a small sigh from the kouhai before she shook Yui's head off.

"You haven't heard? Don't you watch a lot of television?" Ritsu asked.

"Yeah, but I haven't recently."

"What about your parents?" Mio asked.

"They are in Germany right now, so I haven't really heard from them."  
"Your parents really do a lot of traveling…" Azusa stated as she stood up. "Let's just practice a little then head home for the night…I have to see how my parents are doing…they seemed to have caught the flu as well. They weren't doing so well when I left this morning."  
"If you want Azusa, we can bring some food over or cook for you." Mio said as she walked over and gave the young guitarist a pat on the head.  
"Don't worry about it, I haven't caught it yet so, I think I can cook them something nice when I get home."

"Seems odd that none of us have caught it yet, but I guess we're just that awesome!" Ritsu yelled as she pumped her fist into the air. "But Azusa, is right, let's get down to practicing, let's start with Fuwa Fuwa Time!"

"Hai!"

* * *

After practice, Yui made the long walk home, her stomach making soft growling noises as she thought about what yummy foods Ui could be making that night. She was so lucky to have such a wonderful sister like her and she couldn't ask for anyone else. As she passed an allyway she didn't notice a man stumbling behind her until a hand shot out and gripped her shoulder tightly making her scream loudly before he dropped to the ground. Yui quickly turned to look at the fallen man, eyes wide with fear as her heart began to slow down after the sudden startling event passed.  
"U-Uhm, are you okay mister?" She asked softly. She heard the man groan softly and slowly try to pick himself up and that's when Yui noticed something was off. She frowned.

_He must be drunk…I really don't want to mess with drunk people, especially tonight._

"I forgive you for startling me, I have to go now, I hope you...erm…I wish you well." Yui said quickly before she moved backwards and ran off down the sidewalk to her house as fast as she could. People like that man made her uncomfortable, they were unpredictable and she didn't know what he would have done if she stuck around to help him. After running all the way home and opening the front door she sat down her school bag near the door as well as taking off her shoes before she wondered into the house and placed Gitah at the kitchen table before sitting down herself.

"Ui~ I'm home!" Yui called out before she stretched out before laying her head against the nice cool tabletop.

"Welcome home, Onee-chan." Ui said as she sat down a plate in front of her exhausted sister before she sat down herself and picked up her chopsticks. "Mom and Dad called today. They said they'd be late coming home. Seems all flights are canceled coming in and out of Japan."

"Eh? That's weird, why?"

"Well, I looked at the news, seems like there's a storm coming some time this week…but I don't think that would cause all the planes to just stop taking off."

"Hmm…oh well. Let's eat and do homework together tonight, okay?" Yui asked, giving that rather innocent smile before Ui returned it.

"Okay, Onee-chan, I'd love that!"

* * *

"I'm home!" Mio called out as she walked in through the front door. When she noticed no one call back she figured they must have been asleep and took off her shoes and put her school bag down before wondering up to her parent's room.

"Papa? Mama?" She called out once more before opening the door to their room. She heard her father wheeze out before going into a coughing fit.  
"Mio? S'that you?"

"H-Hai…how're you and mama doing?" Mio asked as she walked over to the bedside and knelt down near them.

"N-Not so good…we took some medicine but it doesn't feel like it's working…you're mother is exhausted…I think she fell asleep a little bit ago."  
"Ah, do you want me to make you anything?" Mio asked, reaching out to brush a hand on her father's forehead to feel how hot he was, once her hand touched his burning skin she pulled it away, as if the skin had actually burned her.

"P-Papa! You're burning up!"

"I k-know sweetie…not much we can do about that though…we just need rest."  
Mio looked at her parents sadly before nodding softly.

"Papa…I love you, and Mama a lot…please get better."  
"Of course…go rest and…study…" Mio heard her father say before his eyes closed and he passed out into a fevered sleep.

Mio looked at her two sick parents worriedly before turning to walk out of the room before pulling out her cell phone and dialing 911. When she did this she held the receiver up to her ear and was surprised to hear the busy signal.

"What the…what's going on?"

* * *

"Satoshi! I'm home!"

"Nee-chan?" The younger sibling walked out of the living room, gaming controller still in his hands as he watched his sister take off her shoes before walking towards him with a smile.

"How're you doing? You look a little livelier then when I last checked on you."  
"Y-Yeah, I feel a little bit better, but Mom and Dad are still in bed sleeping I think. Last time I checked on them…Dad said something that made me worried…so I called nine one one, but I got a busy signal…it's been like that all day Nee-chan. But it's Mom! She's coughing up blood…"  
Ritsu looked at her brother worriedly before sprinting upstairs to her parents room, her heart was racing furiously in her chest as she swung the door open and quickly fell on her knees by her parent's bed.

"Dad…Mom?"  
"S-Sweetie?"  
"Mom! Are you okay, Satoshi told me about…"  
"O-Oh, that…I'm fine no-" Ritsu mother seized up and began to cough violently, so violently that Ritsu winced when she saw a speck of blood hit the sheets.  
"Mom, you're really sick, we need to get you to the hospital…"  
"H-How, your father is the same…and you nor Satoshi can drive…don't w-worry…we'll be f-fine in time…"

"But…"  
"Ritsu, be a good girl and g-go fix your b-brother food…d-do your homework too okay?"

"I….okay mom…" Ritsu leaned down and kissed her mother on the forehead before pulling back, she was very worried when she felt the heat radiating off her mother's forehead, but what else was there that she could do? She inhaled shakily before getting up and walking to the door. "I love you Mom…I love you too Dad…I hope you guys get better." Ritsu whispered as she closed the door to her parent's room and walked to the kitchen to make her brother something to eat.

* * *

"Mother, Father, I made you some soup…do you think you can stomach it?" Azusa asked as she sat the two bowls down near her weakened parents before staring down at their prone forms sadly. It hurt to see them like this, too weak to get up, coughing fits would literally shake them to the bone.

"…T-Thanks Azusa-chan…" Her mother whispered, but made no move to get up to feed herself.

Azusa decided to try and feed her herself, taking the spoon with a little bit of soup in it before offering it to her mother. The woman looked down at it then shook her head.  
"W-We'll eat w-when we feel like it…why don't you go do your chores…"  
"B-But…I'm worried about you…"

"I know…I c-can see that." Azusa flinched as she felt the very hot hand touch her forehead before she felt tears come to her eyes as she leaned against the weak touch and nuzzled it.

"M-Mother…I'm really worried about you both…we….we should call the hospital…"  
"W-Will you d-do that for us…I'm getting too t-tired to stay up."  
"H-Hai!...I'll be right back." Azusa whispered as she got up and quickly walked out of her parent's room and pulled out her cell phone to call the hospital. It didn't even ring. It went straight to the busy signal and Azusa's heart sunk. This flu must have hit the city hard if nine one one lines were busy. She made a soft noise of distress as she fell to her knees and sniffled softly. She was so worried for her parent's health that all she wanted was to be with someone other then here tonight. After a moment she heard both her parents cough hard before she heard silence.

"I…I'm sorry mother…I'm sorry father…I guess there's really nothing I can do." She pulled herself up and went into the kitchen to do the dishes before heading to bed. She was emotionally exhausted and figured a good nights rest would do the trick to ease her troubled mind. She didn't realize that all her senpai felt the same. Worried equally about their parents, weather it be the parents who couldn't get back into the country, or the parents that were slowly weakening to the flu-like symptoms.

_Just what is going on here?_

As Azusa's eyes closed, she could feel a chill slide up her back and into her brain. She felt like something bad was going to happen to her parents, but she didn't know what. And because of that, sleep did not come easy for the poor kouhai. It took her a good two hours before sleep finally took over and her garnet eyes closed unaware of the brewing troubles that were on the horizon.

* * *

Author Notes: Sad first chapter is sad. T_T I got all teary eyed while writing this. Funny, my first outline started out so much different then this, but I like this one better for it shows the actual raw emotions behind each character as they try to figure out what is hitting the city so hard…Things are just getting started sadly…And no, this story isn't focused on just Yui and Azusa, thought it'll seem like it at times. But trust me, each couple is going to get its fair share of screen time…and each one is going to get their on little parts of drama. Tell me how well I did on this first chapter. Like I said, this is going to be depressing, but I really want to do this zombie apocalypse thing right.

**Edit: I added scene breaks so less confusion. Don't know why I didn't do that before. X3**


	2. Prelude to Tragedy

Prelude to Tragedy

As the sun rose the next day, things didn't seem any better for the parents. They began to have trouble breathing and the emergency lines were still busy. So reluctantly the girls left for school all with worry on their minds as they went through the day. To their surprise though they had learned most of the student body was either sick at home or sick in the nurse's office. It worried them that so many people seemed to be getting sick along with their parents. Of course Mio couldn't take much more of the worrying by herself so she sought out Ritsu in between classes and once she found her childhood friend she instantly wrapped her arms tightly around the drummer and buried her face into her shoulder, eyes welling up with tears.

"A-Ah? What's wrong Mio?"  
"I'm worried about my parents…"  
"…oh…well come on, it's lunch time so we can go up to the roof and talk if you want." Ritsu said, for once not even giving her childhood friend a teasing for even she wasn't up for joking around that day. The two friends made their way up to the roof with bread in their hands before they sat down and stared up at the cloudy skies.

"It was prettier yesterday…not as chilly either." Ritsu mused as she opened up her bread and brought it to her mouth as she began to eat.

Mio opened hers as well, but didn't bite into it as she thought about how weak her parents were.

"R-Ritsu…how are your parents?" Mio asked as stormy grey eyes stared at her friend from the corners of her eyes. She noticed Ritsu tense and swallow what food she had in her mouth down hard before turning her gaze somewhere else.

"They…aren't doing too good. Mom and Dad were running pretty high fevers while Satoshi was just not feeling good…he wasn't as bad as them and I…tried calling the hospital but…lines were busy." Ritsu said as she pulled a piece of bread off between her fingers and popped it into her mouth.

"Mine too…running fevers…coughing up blood…I'm scared Ritsu…" Mio admitted as she finally leaned against her strong willed friend, wanting to feel the comfort that radiated off her body while closing her eyes. "I…don't think they'll-"  
"Don't think like that Mio!" Ritsu snapped causing the raven-haired girl to sit up and stare wide eyed at her friend. "T-They'll be fine…it's just the flu…"

"Ritsu…"

"I mean I know it looks bad, but a vaccine will come out then we'll grab some for everyone…they'll make it through this…it's just the flu."

Mio felt her shoulders drop as she moved closer to Ritsu and put her arms around the shivering girl, giving her a comforting hug before she nervously placed a soft kiss on the side of her forehead.  
"Okay…they'll be fine."  
Ritsu blushed heavily as she felt the kiss, but didn't push the subject and just collapsed exhaustedly against her friend's chest, chuckling softly as she felt those breasts cushion her head.

"Your boobs are getting bigger Mio…"  
"W-What? Where did that come from?

"It's true, they are like big fluffy pillows-"  
_Thump!_

"Ouch!"

"D-Don't say things like that, baka!"

"Okay okay! Didn't have to hit me for it…geez…dangerous queen."

Mio began to laugh softly as she watched Ritsu rub the spot where she had punched her before she kissed the spot gently while snuggling closer.

"Thanks for…talking to me Ritsu…I needed it."  
"…No problem…I needed it too."

* * *

"Well, since we are all here, I thought I'd say that practice is canceled for today." Ritsu stated firmly as she looked over all the club members sadly. "I say this because I have to get home to take care of my parents…and so does Mio. They aren't doing so well."  
"Actually Ritsu-senpai, I'm glad you called that…my parents aren't doing so great either…I've been worried about them all day."  
"You parents are sick too Azunyan? This worries me a lot…" Yui whispered as she walked over to her kouhai and gave her a soft gentle hug before nuzzling her softly while listening to Ritsu speak.

"Yeah…so I suggest we just come back when these flu things are over with…then we can start up again-"  
The door suddenly slammed open causing the girls to gasp out and turn towards the person panting heavily at the door.  
"Sensei?" Tsumugi whispered as she walked over to the panting woman before she was brushed off and the teacher quickly walked over to the table and placed a radio on it.

"You guys weren't thinking about going home were you?" She asked, a panicked look in her eyes that made each girl in the room even more nervous then before.

"Well…yeah, our parents are all sick and we wanted to get home to help them." Mio said firmly.

"…Ah, well you better listen to this first." Sawako said as she turned on the radio, the broadcast was clear and the man giving the speech sounded nervous and worried.

"_Officials don't know what to call this new virus, but citizens are told to stay away from the infected and if they attempt to bite or attack you that a blunt hit to the head will cause them to die once more…but I repeat the infected will show flu-like symptoms before dying and coming back to life as these monsters you see in the streets. I repeat! Do not go near the infected! Safety zones have been set up all around the city, please go to the nearest one for evacuation! I repeat-"_

As the girls listened to the broadcast, Mio was the first one to snap out of her trance and dig into her pocket for the phone and quickly dialed home.

"Mio-chan? What are you doing?" Sawako asked as she noticed the panic that was spreading through everyone's face.

"Calling my parents…I sat the phone next to them this morning…" Mio whispered, but as the phone went to voice message her face went pale.

"Hang on, let me call Satoshi, he was fine this morning so maybe he'll pick up." Ritsu said as she put a hand on her friend's shoulder before pulling out her own phone and dialed for home before putting it to hear ear. It rang a couple of times before someone finally picked up.

"_N-Nee-chan?"_  
"Satoshi! Oh thank goodness…is everything okay?"

"_No…No it's not! There are people at the door, they…they don't look right, and…Mom and Dad…they…they tried to attack me!"  
_"What?..." Ritsu felt the blood drain from her face as she tried to listen to the background noise on the phone. She could definitely hear people, but they weren't talking, they were making some odd groaning noises. "Okay…where are Mom and Dad right now?"

"_I l-locked them in their room…"  
_"Good, now, keep them locked in there and barricade the front and back doors as well as the windo-"  
_Crash!_

"_A-AH NEE-CHAN! They got in! Nee-chan! HEL-"_

Ritsu felt her heart stop when she heard the phone get knocked out of her brother's grasp before she heard a pained scream then the call got cut.

"Satoshi?...Satoshi!" Ritsu screamed frantically even though she knew, something had happened to her brother. Her mouth was dry, but she could easily feel tears running down her cheeks as she dropped her phone to the floor and could only stare wide eyed as she felt Mio kneel beside her.  
"R-Ritsu?"  
"….I…I don't know what happened…he…he was fine…he was s-safe…" Ritsu whispered brokenly as she brought her hand up to her face and began to shake her head. "H-He said Mom and Dad t-tried to attack him…that the neighbors were trying to get in…before I could even help him they got in…they must have…oh no…" Ritsu whispered painfully as she felt Mio hug her tightly. "It…I think all of our parents who were sick…aren't a-alive anymore."  
"W-What?" Azusa whimpered out as she felt her knees shaking, threatening to drop her before she felt Yui wrap her arms around her and hold her weight before she collapsed against the lead guitarist.

"Azunyan!"

"Azusa-chan/Azusa!" The others yelled as they gathered around the fainted kouhai before Sawako sighed softly.

"I'll go see if I can grab anyone else that isn't sick and bring them up here…you girls keep the doors shut unless you hear me okay?"

"H-Hai, sensei…" Tsumugi replied as she got up and followed the teacher to the door before closing it behind her and locking it.

"W-We have to do something, get to one of those evacuation zones and j-just get out of here." Ritsu said as she tried to control her breathing, she was close to hyperventilating, she was upset about what happened to her family, but knowing them, they would want her to survive and help as many as she could to survive as well.

"B-But they are saying the people are…infected…are dying then coming back to life…what does that mean?" Tsumugi asked as she came back to the fallen kouhai with a cold wet washrag and placed it on her forehead before helping Yui lay her out resting while resting her head on the lead guitarist's lap.

Ritsu swallowed hard, her throat felt extremely dry as she tried to think of a reasonable explanation for all of this. But her mind knew what this was, and as much as she wish it wasn't true she knew it was the only explanation that she could come up with that made sense.

"Have you ever played a game called Left 4 Dead?"

"I don't play video games Ricchan." Tsumugi said softly.

"I do, but I don't think I've played that one…" Yui replied as she stroked Azusa's forehead, trying to coax the kouhai into waking up.  
"…Wait, that game you scared me with? With the…zombies?" Mio asked, her face going pale.

Ritsu just nodded.

"Zombies? A…Are they really…turning into zombies?" Yui asked, obviously very familiar with the concept.

"Okay, I know what that is…but really? That…sounds so impossible." Tsumugi whispered as they huddled closer to talk most quietly about the situation.

"It's the only logical explanation…why would our neighbors attack Satoshi? Why would they be making strange groaning noises instead of yelling if they just wanted the murder him…" Ritsu whispered, pain and sadness lacing her voice as she used that example. She knew in her heart that her family was already dead, a hard fact she had to get over to help protect the last family she had. Her friends.

"Now, we need to figure out where the closest safety zone is…and…I hate to say this but, we need weapons and the only things we have is our…"  
"…You want me to use Gitah to kill these things? I would never handle him like that!"  
"Do you have a better idea Yui? Do you have a katana at your house or a shotgun that you're hiding somewhere?"

"N-No…but Gitah-"  
"Yui…I know you treasure him, but these things are going to kill you so either way, Gitah isn't going to be much useful for long." Ritsu said sadly as she watched her friend's face contort to sadness before she looked over at her precious Les Paul.

"Does that mean…I have to use…Elizabeth l-like that too?" Mio asked as she stared at her bass sadly.  
"Most likely Mio…"

They obviously didn't like the idea, but something had to be done and soon.

"Sensei! Why are we coming up here?" The girls suddenly new voices from the stairway.

"Jun-chan, she said Onee-chan and everyone is still up here, that means we can all get out of here together."

"I guess…"  
"It's actually very logical, group up, form a plan, and get out of here…thank you for finding us Sensei."

"Nodoka-chan!" Yui yelled as she practically threw herself at the glasses wearing girl, almost knocking her off her feet as they entered the clubroom.

"Yui…are your parents okay?"  
"They are still in Germany, they won't let them fly back in." Yui said as tears once again threatened to escape her eyes once more.

"I see…so what Ui-chan was saying is true…I'm happy to hear they are okay though…it seems like most everyone is…"  
"D-Don't say it…" Ritsu pleaded. "We know…"

The weak tone in the brunette's voice made Nodoka sigh sadly before she turned to Sawako.

"So, what are we going to do? We need to get to those safety zones as fast as possible, but with all that's going on…"  
"I know…we need to gear up before we go out…do you have anything you can use as a weapon?" The teacher asked as she turned to Ui and Jun.

"I…got a bass, As much as I hate to use that as a weapon I will if I have to." Jun replied while Ui shook her head.

"I…I can't fight. A-And I don't have anything that can be used as a weapon."  
"Here, I'll get you and Nodoka-san something…Mugi-chan I'll find you something as well."  
The blonde nodded slowly, but obviously didn't like the idea of having to use a weapon at all.

"Azunyan!" Yui suddenly shouted as the young kouhai finally came too, garnet eyes darting back and forth before she sat up quickly.  
"I have to get to my house! M-My parents-" As she made to get up Ritsu jumped over to them and held the panicked girl down.

"No, Nakano! It's too late-"  
"No it's not! My parents are still there! If we go-"  
"Azusa, listen to me, it's too late, don't make me say it again."  
"But-!"

Before Ritsu could do anything else Yui instantly pushed the drummer off and wrapped her arms tightly around the thrashing girl, holding her tightly while stroking her hair, trying to soothe and pain and hurt out of her shaking kouhai's body.  
"There, there…calm down…" Yui cooed as she tried desperately to be the voice of reason for once.

When the older guitarist pulled back she was shocked to find Azusa clinging to her, refusing to let go as she felt a wet spot on her uniform from the tears that began to course down the rhythmic guitarist's face.

"…Y-Yui-senpai…w-why did they have to get sick…"  
"Oh Azunyan…I'm so sorry…w-we'll give them a proper burial…everyone's parents and family needs one…when we are safe we'll do that…would…that make you feel better?" Yui asked as she looked up and around at the now saddened faces of her friends.

"Y-Yeah…let's do that when we get out of here…just find somewhere and make a…shrine to those who died." Ritsu whispered as she placed a comforting hand on Mio's head as the girl buried her face into her legs and began to sob brokenly.  
"…t-that's a good idea senpai…I…guess we should get going before anything bad happens." Azusa said as she wiped the tears away and took a shaky breath before standing up along with Yui.

Ritsu nodded before she knelt down in front of Mio and slowly coaxed her childhood friend to look at her.

"Mio…I'm sorry about what happened…but for now…you're my last family member…I'll do everything within my power to protect you…I know I've teased you and made fun of you…but I promise I will…I…I don't want to lose you too."  
"Ritsu…I don't want to lose you either…I…I just don't think I can fight…"  
Ritsu shook her head firmly and reached out to pull Mio into a hug before whispering into her ear.  
"Heh…looks like I'll be Romeo today…"

A bright blush flashed on Mio's cheeks as she felt the hot breath against her ear, but she slowly nodded before pulling away to stand up and she slowly walked over to her bass case and took out her precious Elizabath. Ritsu grabbed her drumsticks and put them in her pockets for easy access before turning to the rest of the girls.

"Get your instruments Yui, Azusa…we're going to need them one last time while we run to the safety zone."  
Azusa glanced over at her senpai once Ritsu said this and caught the flash of pain cross over Yui's face before she snapped out of it and walked over to Gitah and strapped it on her shoulders and Azusa did the same with Muttan.

Sawako came back from within the storage closet and handed Ui and Tsumugi a wooden pole before giving Nodoka a large metal pole before she turned to take out her own guitar.

"It's been fun girls, but look at it this way, if we make it out of this alive we'll be able to buy new instruments."  
"Y-yeah…" Mio whispered as she inhaled deeply, trying to prepare herself for the journey that was about to take place.

"Oi, shh, do you guys hear that?" Jun suddenly said as she walked over to the clubroom doors and put an ear to it and began to listen hard. Ritsu was the next to knelt down and put her ear to the wood as she listened and her eyes widened when she noticed what the noise was.

She could hear screams of pain and panic filling the school halls as well as unearthly howls and groans.

They were turning.

Ritsu got up quickly and turned to Mio.

"Mio, I need you to not freak out and panic, but you're going to have to close your eyes because we are just going to run…"  
"What? What are you talking abou-"  
"Just do what I say, please!"

Mio swallowed hard, but nodded as she closed her eyes. She was about to ask how she was supposed to see to run when she felt Ritsu grab her hand.

"Just keep a tight hold of my hand and run with me…I won't leave you behind, but do NOT open your eyes for any reason…got it?"

"H-Hai."

"Everyone else ready? Remember, main rules about zombies, bash them in the head with everything you got."  
"Uhm, Ricchan…what if they aren't like the zombies in the games?" Yui asked as she clutched Gitah tightly in her hands as Azusa stood beside her, looking just as scared and nervous as the rest of her friends.

Ritsu blanched but started laughing nervously while reaching out to open the doors.

"Let's just hope they are…"

As she swung open the door she allowed Sawako to take the lead before tugging Mio by the arm down the stairs and the others followed closely behind.

Ritsu was glad she had told Mio to shut her eyes, for once they got to the lowest level of the school there was sheer chaos; girls were being attacked by their recently turned classmates, being torn into left and right and screams filled the hallways as they tried to escape.

One of the zombified schoolgirls tried to dive at Mio as they ran passed, but Ritsu reacted fast, kicking the zombie aside before tugging Mio away from the fallen zombie. She could see by the pained look on Mio's face that she was trying hard to drowned out the screams that she was hearing, but she couldn't so Ritsu decided to try something to ease her fears.

"Come on Mio, you're doing great! Just keep running and listen to my voice!"

Tsumugi and Nodoka almost yelled out when they saw the zombie dive for Mio, but were relieved to see Ritsu react so fast, but that didn't stop the zombie from reaching out to grab Tsumugi's leg as they ran passed. She instantly fell to the floor and her bright blue eyes went wide as she let out a scream.

"Mugi-chan!" Yui yelled when she noticed the zombie moving up, it's mouth opening wide as it prepared to strike, but Yui's body reacted on pure will to save her friend. She tugged Gitah off her back and, with all her arm strength that she could summon, swung at the zombie's head.

There was a sickening smash as the guitar collided with bone and the strings vibrated against the body of the Les Paul as it became stained with blood.

Tsumugi could feel the zombie's grip slacken before she yanked her foot away and turned to see what had happened. The zombie's head was cracked opened, blood pouring out as it laid there unmoving while Yui stood rooted to her spot wide-eyed at what she had just done.

"Come on! RUN!" Nodoka yelled, snapping the two girls out of their shocked trance before Yui instantly helped the blonde to her feet and they began to run once more.

They finally made it out of the school and into the schoolyard while Sawako batted away one zombie after another. One of the things Azusa noticed about the zombies was they were much faster then the ones on television that she had seen. They actually sprinted rather fast towards the group of girls while they were smacked away by Gitah or Jun's bass. The puffy pigtailed girl was doing a good job at fighting back, her will to live being the main thing keeping her alive while also trying to protect Ui. The youngest Hirasawa was not on fight mode; she just wanted to get away from the blood and screams as fast as possible.

"Sawa-chan, where's your car! We can get away in that!" Ritsu yelled as she rammed her elbow into a zombie's jaw, knocking it backwards as she continued to tug Mio along. "You're doing good Mio, we're almost out." Ritsu said comfortingly. She was actually impressed that Mio hadn't fainted yet, but then again as long as Mio couldn't see the zombies, she was fine, for the most part.

"That's wouldn't work, I can't fit nine people into my car!" Sawako yelled as she stopped at the gate and began to tug on one of them to try and close off the school. "Someone grab the other side! Hurry!"

Nodoka ran up and began to help the teacher while Jun and Yui worked on keeping the zombies away for a little longer.

They noticed the gate about to close, they both quickly ran and slide through the tiny opening before Sawako and Nodoka quickly closed the gates and they backed away just in time as a few dozen zombies began to try to reach their arms through at them, trying to grab them.

"Ha! Beat that! You! Can not! Touch this!" Ritsu yelled as she panted heavily while putting her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Mio was beside her; eyes still screwed shut as she panted as well.

"A-Are we safe?"

"W-Well we're safe for now…" Sawako replied as she looked at the zombies, trying to get a good idea of what they were. "Isn't it odd that they are bleeding from the eyes?"

"Sensei, they're supposed to be dead…how is it that bleeding from the eyes is the weirdest thing to you?" Nodoka asked as she caught her breath as well. After a moment though Nodoka began to take interest in the zombies, she slowly walked over to stand beside Sawako while her dark brown eyes scanned the undead. "They are a bit peculiar aren't they? They're not only bleeding from the eyes, but the nose and mouth as well…"  
"Ears too." Sawako pointed out as she tilted her head. "Not your normal zombies that's for sure…"  
"They're fast as well!" Ritsu yelled as she sighed softly. "We have to keep moving, those things won't stay preoccupied with that gate for long."

"Yeah…" Azusa said as she looked over at Jun and Ui, noticing that her friends were comforting each other before her garnet orbs fell on Yui and Tsumugi. She noticed Tsumugi trying to talk Yui out of something, but there was an emotionless expression etched on the guitarist's face.

"Yui-senpai?" Azusa whispered as she walked over to her senpai and placed a reassuring hand on her back.

"Azunyan…I…I got Gitah dirty…a-am I a bad owner?"

Azusa blinked in confusion as Tsumugi let out a small whimper at Yui's broken voice. The kouhai noticed that Yui was holding her guitar close to her body, blood dripping off the base while a couple of strings were already broken off as well as the frame seemed to be dented in many places. Azusa couldn't help but look sadly at Yui before she wrapped her arms around the girl, making her gasp softly since this was the first time Azusa had ever initiated a hug before so of course it would shock Yui back to her normal state.

"It's okay Yui-senpai…it's okay…you did good." Azusa whispered as she nuzzled Yui's shoulder blade firmly. Finally her senpai turned around and hugged her back before nodding slowly.

"Thank you…I'm glad I was able to save you Mugi-chan." Yui said as she turned to look at the blonde who smiled gently before nodding.

"Thank you for saving me Yui-chan."

"We're not out of the woods yet, kids," Sawako stated as she motioned with her head towards the street.

It was filled with bodies, undead, and people being attacked by undead.

"Mio, keep those eyes of yours closed…we've still got a long fight ahead of us…"

* * *

Author Notes: Gah, how do people write these things and keep the characters in character? Oh, and did someone say they would beta-read for me? I'm thinking since this is my first real serious story, I might need someone to beta for me…I think I remember someone saying in a review that they would, I'm sorry I can't remember who it was, but if you send me a PM I'd really appreciate learning how that works, or anyone can pm me about it, I'd really appreciate the help.

Anyways, so yeah, it's just beginning, I feel bad for killing off almost everyone's family, all except Yui and Tsumugi's since their parents are out of the country at the moment…but, gah. I'm glad I'm to the part with the actual zombies now. Much easier to write now that we are getting to my more detailed part of the outline. XD And yeah, two chapters up at once, got done with both of them rather fast since the second chapter outline was pretty detailed. Please review and tell me what I need to do to improve! I'd appreciate it! ^_^

**Edit: Added scene breaks for less confusion. DX**


	3. Learning to Cope

Learning to Cope

"Okay, so…how far to the safety zone?" Ritsu asked as she kept a tight hold on Mio's hand while scanning the streets, the zombies seemed to be preoccupied with just wondering around aimlessly once they had finished feasting on the flesh of the people they caught. It was odd, wouldn't the zombies be running after them by now? Ritsu had to admit that she didn't fully understand how these monsters worked, but if they were anything like the games they should have been moseying over to them by now to eat them?

"The last one I remember was about three miles south of our high school…" Nodoka said softly while her dark brown eyes watched as a zombie stumbled a little before getting back up to move closer towards them, yet the look in it's eyes told her it really didn't 'see' them. She didn't get to contemplate more on this as a sudden crash near by caused all of them to jump. A car had crashed into the school wall, causing an explosion of flames that even made Mio open her eyes.

"What the-"

Soon an uproar of screeches and screams erupted from down the street and the zombie that was close to them suddenly looked straight at them, eyes wide with hunger.

"Oh shit, run!" Sawako yelled as she swung her already bloodied guitar against the zombie's head causing it to drop to the ground while Mio let out a rather loud scream.

"Mio, run please, no time to scream!" Ritsu yelled as she reached out once more and gripped her best friend's hand and began to practically drag the girl when they noticed a rather large mob of zombies rushing towards them.

"Are we running in the right direction!" Azusa yelled while they ran.  
"I hope so! Cause we're screwed if we aren't!" Jun yelled back.

"We are, just keep running!" Nodoka took a sharp turn causing all of the girls to stumble a bit before taking the ally that the glasses girl took.

"Why are we going down here?" Ui asked as she almost tumbled over a trashcan before Jun steadied her.

"We need to lose them! If they are following us the people at the safety zone might kill us with them!"

"What! Why?" Ritsu yelled back before she felt Mio slip from her grasp.

Panic seemed to over take her common sense as she quickly turned to witness her friend tumble to the ground, legs obviously to weak to support her as a zombie that had been tailing them before the rush began to descend upon her. "Mio!"

Azusa's body turned when she heard her senpai yell and her garnet eyes widened as she quickly changed course and pulled Muttan into her hands and couldn't help but shut her eyes tightly as she swung out, the base of her guitar caught the zombie's jaw and when she heard it groan before a snap cut it off she could feel the contents in her stomach lunge up into her throat, but she kept it down as she opened her eyes. The zombie had stumbled backwards, Mio no longer in danger, but it was clear the damage to the zombie didn't stop it. That's when Azusa noticed she had knocked the zombie's lower jaw slightly off and it stared at her, making disgusting gurgling noises as it sprinted towards her, hands reaching out to grasp her around the neck.  
"Azunyan!" She vaguely heard as she was pushed to the ground and she quickly closed her mouth as the blood from it's dangling jaw dripped onto her face while it hovered above her. Azusa began to struggle as it's grip tightened around her neck causing spots to appear in her vision and her hearing began to get muffled, but out of the corner of her eye she saw her teacher run up and bat the thing off her before helping her up.

"Shake it off, run! I'll hold them off!"

"W-What? Sensei no-" Tsumugi started before the teacher cut her off by pushing her towards Nodoka.

"Go, now!"  
Nodoka sent Sawako a look of fear as the teacher ran back towards the entrance of the alleyway.

"If you don't they'll just kill you anyways, if I can hold them off it'll give you time to get on a helicopter or whatever they have waiting for you to get you out…it's a teacher's duty to protect her students…and I'm willing to make that sacrifice for you."  
"We can't just leave you Sawa-chan!" Ritsu yelled next as she helped Mio to her feet while Yui put an arm around Azusa's waist to help her run since she was still getting over the dizziness from the lack of air.

"I...I don't want to leave you Sawa-chan!"

"Don't worry, Yui-chan, everything will be alright…just go!"

The Light Music Club members all watched with tears in their eyes as their teacher motioned them off once more before raising her guitar to bring it down on a zombie that had turned the corner.

Ritsu was the first to snap out of her shock and she grabbed Yui by the collar and Mio by the hand and dragged the two of them towards the exit while Azusa followed closely behind, not wanting to witness their advisor's last stand.

Nodoka had to tug Tsumugi by her upper arm as the blonde yelled out incoherently while Jun and Ui were the first to get out of the alleyway.

"This isn't good, this isn't good." Jun muttered over and over again as she looked around fearfully, her panic filled violet eyes finally catching an area that looked to be blocked off with barbed wire fencing and sand bags. "There! There it is!"  
"Oh, thank god!" Nodoka yelled while dragging a hysterical Tsumugi towards the fencing while Ritsu followed closely behind. Yui had finally come to her senses and wormed her way out of her friend's grasp and started running with her, but Mio on the other hand was close to collapsing again.

"Hello! Open up! We're not infected!" Azusa yelled as she reached the fence, she quickly started shaking the wiring while looking into the area, eyes darting all over the area when her heart started to speed up even more, fear coursing through her veins when she noticed something very horrible.

"N…No one's here…" She whispered when she looked over at Ritsu who had found the way in, the fence was unlocked and they quickly moved into the area before shutting the gate and locking it once more.

"No one is here!" Ritsu yelled as she dropped to her knees, panting so heavily she thought she was about to faint.

"W-We ran all the way here…for nothing?" Yui asked as tears began to run down her cheeks as she sat on her rear and covered her eyes, her sleeves of her uniform were stained with blood. "W-We lost Sawa-chan for nothing."  
"N-No, we didn't lose her, she's probably still kicking ass in the alley…she's too good to go down easily." Ritsu said weakly, but even she didn't believe herself as she looked towards the alley they came out of. She was planning on watching for their teacher a little longer until she heard Mio retch nearby.

The bassist couldn't handle all the raw emotions running through her right now and after witnessing a zombie's jaw dangling from its skull, it was too much. She emptied whatever was in her stomach while crying ever so faintly. Once she was sure nothing else could be emptied from her stomach she was vaguely aware of someone holding her hair back and she slowly turned to see Ritsu kneeling next to her once more, looking away while holding her hair out of her face.  
"R-Ritsu?"  
"Are you…okay Mio?" Ritsu asked as she continued to stare the other direction and not at the mess Mio just made. After a moment Mio nodded slowly and spat out the rest of the vile taste from her mouth before standing and tugging her friend away to the opposite side of the safety zone.

"Is there even a chance of us surviving now?" Mio asked as she looked at Ritsu, who was shaking just as much as she was now. "This…doesn't look promising at all Ritsu…we just lost someone else and this so called 'safety zone' looks completely deserted! What do we do now?"  
"I don't know…I'm not the leader of this, I'm not…Sawa-chan seemed to know more about it then me…she'll be back I know she wi-"  
She stopped talking when she heard a scream that was cut short, then silence.

Everyone seemed to be stunned by the sound. Nothing in the world could have prepared them for this, and as Tsumugi collapsed to her knees and began to sob brokenly, they knew they were now on their own.

"What…What do we do now?" Azusa asked, tears streaming down her face as she sat on the cold ground, bringing her knees to her chest before wrapping her arms around them as she buried her face into them.

"I don't know…I just don't know." Ritsu replied as she shook her head solemnly while staring at her shoes.  
"Sawa-chan…" Yui mumbled softly as she continued to stare at the alleyway, as if expecting their teacher to walk out any moment without an scars or wounds, she couldn't think that something more horrible happened to their advisor, she just couldn't bring herself to think that was the end of her.

Ui wondered over to Yui and gave her sister a firm hug, not saying anything as she tried to comfort her sister while she cried herself. She was scared, worried, and completely exhausted from running as much as they had. Jun just stood away from the grieving girls while sitting down as well, she was tired as well from running, after all she didn't have the stamina to run like the others did.

Finally, Nodoka had enough, after seeing the group breaking apart just because they lost someone else cause something to snap in her as she quickly began to take charge, someone had to make up for the loss of such a wonderful and caring teacher.

"Guys…you need to stop this, we have to keep moving these fences aren't going to keep those things out for long." Nodoka said as she walked over to one of the abandoned tables, hoping that maybe they left a map or something of other safety areas they could go to. She was happy to find that there was a map with all the safety zones circled in red. "Look if we take this map and stop by a shop on the way over there to look for something to protect ourselves with we can survive this…" Nodoka said firmly as she turned to the girls. They seemed to listen vaguely to what she was saying, but were still distraught, mourning in their own way. The president of the student council frowned before she slammed her weapon on the ground startling them all and they turned to stare at her wide eyed.

"Stop your sulking! Yes, it's horrible what happened, we all lost someone precious to us," Nodoka yelled angrily while tears appeared in her eyes. "But if we give up now, just stay here, we'll all die! Do you want that? I'm sure everyone's parents would have wanted them to live on, and Sawako-sensei, she didn't sacrifice herself just so we could sulk about it, she wanted us to live on…I hate to be the one to say this but…we have to keep going…we have to be stronger then this. But most importantly, we have to watch each other's backs…no more of that lone hero thing…if we want to survive we have to do it together."

The speech seemed to hit the right chord and slowly life seemed to make it's way back into each of the girl's eyes as she began to calm down and think reasonably.

"Okay…so what do we need to gear up on?" Ritsu asked as she walked over to Nodoka to look at the maps.

"Well…as useful as your instruments are and these, poles that Sawako-sensei found…we need something a little more practical."  
Ritsu's eyes suddenly narrowed before she looked over at the president.  
"You mean like…guns?"  
"Yes."

"Yeah…that sounds safe, let's give some guns to a bunch of high schooler girls, see how that turns out."  
"You got a better idea Tainaka, then go ahead and voice it!" Nodoka snapped out as she folded the map up and put it in her uniform pocket. Ritsu shrunk back at the tone before looking away shamefully.  
"Hey, don't yell at her Nodoka." Mio said defensively while slowly walking over to the two. "But…I think she's right Ritsu, we need better weapons…"  
"Okay okay…but does anyone know how to work a gun?"

When Jun raised her hand all of them eyed her curiously.  
"What? My dad's a gun addict; he likes all sorts of types. He taught me how to load a double barrel shotgun once as well as a few other guns."  
"…Okay then, Jun will show all of us how to load a gun. Fine! Let's go grab some guns then…anyone know where a gun store is at near by?" Ritsu asked, once again Jun raised her hand.

"Erm, not even a block down the street, if we keep going straight in this direction," Jun pointed towards the direction of the setting sun. "We should be able to find the store that way."

"Okay, fine, we got ourselves a goal, get to the gun shop, load up on ammo and other things then make our way to a non-deserted safety zone." Ritsu stated before looking at Nodoka. "And…I think you should lead the way Nodoka, you're…a much better leader then I could ever hope to become."  
"What?"  
"I agree, Nodoka-san…you've been very good at keeping a level head through all of this even though, I'm sure you've lost the same things as others have." Ui said softly as she guided Yui closer to the others as they all gathered around the small table.

"Yeah…i-if it's okay Nodoka, we need someone calm and collected for this." Mio said as she offered a weak smile.

"Well…if you all insist, I'll do my best." Nodoka replied as she began to rub the back of her head nervously. "I…well we should get going before it gets too dark to travel, because I don't know about your guys, but traveling at night and not being able to see sounds too dangerous to me. I think we should restrict traveling to during the daytime."  
"Sounds good to me, so I think we should get to the gun store, see if we can lock it up from the inside and stay there for the night?" Jun asked as she tilted her head.

"Sounds like a plan to me…what are you two doing?" Nodoka asked when she noticed Yui and Tsumugi making small dirt piles. There were twelve piles all together and each one had a tiny cross drawn into it.  
"W-We're making graves for those we lost." Tsumugi replied tears still streaming down her face as Yui folded her hands in her lap and bowed her head. "After all, it s-sounds like we won't be any p-place safer then this for a while."

Everyone exchanged looks of pain before they gathered around their friends and took a moment of silence for their families and teacher that they have lost.

"Alright, we have to go now…" Nodoka said after a few moments, her resolve renewed after making peace with that inner burden of not being able to save her own family or grief for them. But not only that, she could hear the sound of groans getting closer from the alleyway finally and she ran to the opposite side of the fenced off area and opened the other side of the gate.

Azusa helped Yui to her feet and noticed her eyes weren't really focused on anything and that scary emotionless expression was back as she refused to say anything.  
"Yui-senpai?" Azusa grabbed her hand and began to stroke the skin on the back of her fist soothingly before she finally was able to break Yui out of her thoughts making those chocolate eyes stare at her.

"Azunyan?"  
"We have to go…thank you for…making those. I really appreciate it, and I'm sure everyone else feels the same…" Azusa whispered softly before tugging her senpai towards the exit while everyone else was already making their way though it and down the streets.

"Stay in pairs!" Nodoka yelled back as she and Jun ran together towards where the gun store would be. Tsumugi and Ui were close behind while Mio and Ritsu followed after that. Azusa and Yui were last since the kouhai thought it would be a good idea to relock the gate to make it a little harder for the zombies to follow before they started running once more.

It was rough for each of the girls as they sprinted through the empty streets to get to the gun store, none of them had run this much in a very long time, not since the marathon race a few months back. But thankfully it didn't take long for them to reach the gun store and they were happy to find it relatively intact. The glass on the door had been smashed so people could unlock it from the outside, but other then that it didn't look like they got far, for there was an arm hanging from the shards of glass. Mio had to clutch onto the back of Ritsu's uniform when she saw this, but once Nodoka opened the door she kicked the arm off and they shuffled inside.

"Wow, didn't look like this place got raided at all." Jun said as she started wondering around the store.

"The zombies probably got them before they could." Ritsu stated as she walked behind the counter and picked up one of the shotguns off the wall and made a happy noise as she held it like she would shoot it. "Nice! I think I'll take this…"  
"Really? Ritsu-senpai, you do realize it's probably best not to take a gun of that size if you've never used a gun." Jun asked while walking over to the counter.

"What? Why?"

"Because the backlash from firing it will hurt you." Nodoka said as she picked up a small handgun and a belt to keep the ammo for it. "They have some swords and axes in here too, I suggest taking a one for each of us in case we run out of ammo."  
"Yeah…I guess." Mio said as she reached up to take one of the katanas before sliding the sheath on her back while grabbing a handgun for herself and it's ammo. "I don't like this plan…"  
"Don't worry, Mio-senpai!" Jun said as she walked over and took the handgun from Mio. "Here, see this switch, right now it's on safety, flip it to the other side to turn the safety off. And to load it just open it here, slip the bullet in and cock it back like this, kay?" Jun explained before offering the older girl a small smile. "I know you don't want to use it, but just in case right?"  
"Yeah, thanks Jun-chan."  
"Whoa…Azunyan, I think I'll take one of those." Yui said as she looked up at a rather large machine gun that was hanging on the wall.  
"Y-Yui-senpai! That's a machine gun! You can't carry that around." Azusa yelled as she finished putting a small rifle on her back and two hand axes on a belt she picked up.

"But, it's so big and I'm sure it'll easily take out a few zombies in one hit…"  
"No!"

"Fine…I'll take a rifle then." Yui said with a small pout as she pulled one of the rifles down from the shelf before she was struck with a problem. She couldn't carry a rifle and Gitah on her back. She made a small noise of sadness as she looked around once more before she grinned happily. She put the rifle back in its normal place before running over to the handguns and grabbed one of the Magnum Pistols.

"Yui-senpai, that handgun has a bit of a kick to it, so be careful and hold it away from your face when you shoot it so you don't…punch yourself in the face." Jun explained after teaching her how to load it and put the safety on.

"Okay, I just wanted something small so I can continue carrying Gitah…I know he isn't exactly the most useful weapon, but he's done a good job so far of protecting me and Azunyan I think he'll be able to make it with us."  
"Whatever Yui, just…be careful with it." Nodoka said as she put one of the fire axes on her back before putting the handgun in it's spot on her belt before turning to look around at the others.

Mio seemed happy with the katana and small handgun on her belt, while Ui looked to be nervous around all the weapons but picked out two handguns and a small broad sword. Jun also had two small hand axes on her belt as well as a rifle while Tsumugi took one of the bigger assault rifles as well as a kodachi that she put on her belt. Then Nodoka's eyes landed on the drummer. She had stuck with the automatic shotgun she found behind the counter as well as its ammo.

"You're really going to use that?"

"Hell yeah! I bet after a few shots I'll get use to handling it. I just think one of us should be using a shotgun since this is the zombie apocalypse." Ritsu said as she put the shotgun on her back then slipped two small daggers into the belt she found as well. Nodoka rolled her eyes before she looked at the sun, or lack there of, and decided it was the best time to try and set up a small perimeter.

"Okay, let's figure out how to shut this shop down, lock it up so the monsters can't get in."  
"You can call them zombies Nodoka, that's what they are." Ritsu said as she wondered over to a power box and opened it to see if she could find a switch to the security system.

"I don't want to call them something if we aren't even sure what they are."  
"But...they act exactly like zombies." Yui said as she sat down on the floor and looked around. "How are we going to sleep in here, it doesn't exactly come with beds."  
"We'll have to make due…" Mio replied when she noticed a back room. "Hey, looks like there's a room back over here." She walked over to the door and opened it slowly, as if expecting a zombie to be in there, when she saw nothing but a small bed and some sleeping bags she sighed softly. "I think whoever was here was expecting to stay for a while, I found some things we can use to sleep in."

"That's good Mio, now let's see if they have anything we can block the windows and doors with." Ritsu said as she looked around, her eyes finally fell on something hanging out of the ceiling above the windows and front door.  
"Nodoka, what are those things?" Ritus asked as she walked over and jumped up to grab onto the thing and began to pull it down. It made a loud metal noise before it started coming down over the window.

"Metal shutters! That's perfect!" Nodoka yelled as she ran over to help Ritsu lock the shutter in place before the two of them worked on pulling the rest down. "They don't make a lot of noise either, this is great."

"Good, I'm starting to get exhausted from all the running we've done today…and everything else emotional." Tsumugi said as she reclined against the wall while setting her equipment aside.

"Me too…" Azusa said as she walked into the backroom and began to set out the sleeping bags, she noticed right away there would be a problem with the sleeping order. There were only three sleeping bags and the small bed at their disposal. "Guys, we may have to take turns sleeping…"  
"Or we could split into pairs and sleep in the same sleeping bag and do rock paper scissors to see which pair gets the bed…I mean we're all girls here, nothing wrong with us sleeping together." Jun said as she looked around. Azusa and Yui began to blush heavily while Ritsu suddenly had a coughing fit while Mio fidgeted.

"Y-Yeah, what's so wrong about that." Ritsu said as she laughed nervously before she locked the metal shutters in place with Nodoka before moving to join the rest of the girls at the back. She looked over at Mio who suddenly looked very interested in a bottle of blue liquid that she found in the bathroom.

"What's that Mio?"

"…Mouthwash."  
"Ah…yeah that might be a good idea. Anyways! Once Mio gets her mouth washed out, I pick her as my sleeping partner, since you know, we've had tons of sleep overs so I'm use to her sleeping patterns." Ritsu stated causing Mio to blush deeply as she swished the liquid around in her mouth.

Yui seemed to catch onto what Ritsu was doing and instantly clung to Azusa's arm.

"Then I get dibs on Azunyan!"

"W-What, Yui-senpai…mou, fine." Azusa said as she shrugged slightly at Ui who just smiled innocently.

"I want to be with Ui!" Jun yelled while holding up a hand in the air.

Nodoka and Tsumugi looked at each other before smiling at each other.

"I guess it's you and me then, I don't mind taking a sleeping bag, if you don't." Tsumugi said as she tilted her head slightly while looking at the glasses wearing girl.

"Yeah, sounds fine with me."  
"So, it'll just be us three fighting over the bed?" Ritsu asked as Mio finally rejoined the conversation after spitting out the liquid in her mouth once she was sure the bad taste was out after her earlier mishap.

"I guess so…uhm, Yui-senpai, you do it, I'm not good at rock paper scissors."  
"Okay!"  
"I guess I'll do it for you Mio-chuan, I'll get us the bed!"

"Baka…it really doesn't matter to me, but whatever, go for it."  
"Do you want me to do it Ui?"  
"Sure, good luck Jun."  
Soon the three held out their hands and began to count before putting out their winning hands.

"…What the, Yui how did you win that!"

"Hehe, scissors of victory!"  
"Mou, I should have used rock…"

After locking the door to the backroom once everyone went to the rest room and got settled, Nodoka turned off the lights and everyone relaxed and tried hard to block out the sounds of the undead prowling the night.

It was taking forever for her to get to sleep, she was exhausted yet after everything that had happened that day Mio couldn't bring herself to fall asleep. Between hearing the others whispering to each other to the sounds of pained screams from outside, she found it nearly impossible to fall asleep. However, she found an arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her closer before a soft voice whispered into her ear.  
"Can't sleep?"  
"Y…Yeah…you?"  
"Yeah…can't stop thinking about…things."  
Mio strained her eyes to see Ritsu's face in the dark and could vaguely make out a sad pained look on the drummer's face. It hurt, she knew the pain all too well, for she had lost the exact same things as Ritsu did.  
"Ritsu…I know what you mean…but not only that…I can hear them…outside…it scares me." Mio admitted as she moved even closer to Ritsu in the small sleeping bag. "I'm sorry…I almost got us killed twice today…I've been nothing but useless since all this happened."  
"No…you haven't Mio." Ritsu said firmly before wrapping both arms around her friend tightly. "…Can I ask you something personal?"  
This question made Mio blink in confusion before she tilted her head up once more to look at where Ritsu's face was.  
"Sure…what?" She saw Ritsu's smile fade as a hard frown replaced it to show she was thinking hard before she shook her head and gave up on the idea.

"…Never mind, just…I'm happy you're okay…at least I have you." Ritsu whispered as she buried her face into those raven locks. Mio was about to say something when she felt her head get pushed against Ritsu's chest. She was about to complain about personal space when she noticed something, Ritsu's heartbeat was in her ears, and it was all she could hear. It was drowning out the noise of the pain and death she had experienced that day and very quickly Mio's eyes fell shut and she wrapped her own arms around Ritsu's waist and easily fell asleep to that gentle beat.

"Azunyan?" Yui whispered as she looked down at the kouhai that was lying beside her. When she didn't move, Yui was about to just try and sleep, but then Azusa shifted and she sat up slightly on her arms to look down into her senpai's face.

"What is it senpai?" Azusa asked in a low voice so as not to disturb the rest of the girls in the room.

"I…I was just thinking…I mean…I know you lost a lot today and even though it's very hard for me to…put myself in your shoes to imagine…all that you've been though…I just wanted to say," Yui whispered as she reached out and guided Azusa down on top of her, holding her close while stroking her back. "I wanted to say that I'm willing to g-give you…what you don't have anymore…if you need parents you can have mine…."  
"Y-Yui-senpai…" Azusa whimpered out as she felt her body get cradled ever so tenderly, when her senpai started talking about these things it opened up the wound in her heart as tears began to cascade down her cheeks and onto Yui's uniform once more as she clung to the older guitarist with all her might.  
"Azunyan…I'm so sorry, maybe I shouldn't hav-"  
"No…i-it's very sweet of you to…offer that…and I appreciate it…i-it's just…I miss them."  
"Oh Azunyan…" Yui whispered softly as she stared down at the broken girl.

"I miss them…I'm scared, I'm so scared…I don't want to die like the people we saw at school…I…I don't want to hear them anymore."  
"Shh…I can fix that." Yui whispered as she reached out and took Azusa's head and pulled it up to her chest. "Listen to me breathing instead…"  
"W-What…?" Azusa was struck dumbly as she felt her cheek press against her senpai's breast before her ear rested between them and her eyes widened when all she could hear was the soft breathing of the girl trying to comfort her.  
"There…see? Can't hear them zombies now can you?"

"H-Hai…thank you Yui-senpai…" Azusa whispered as she relaxed her head against her senpai and her eyes slowly started to close as exhaustion took over. Yui stroked up and down her kouhai's back, trying to soothe all the fear out of her while her eyes closed as well.

_I may feel something more then just friendship with you Azunyan, but I honestly think this isn't the right time to tell you. I know this; I will always protect you…no matter what._

_

* * *

_

Author Notes: ;A; I killed off Sawako-sensei! I know, don't hate me, but it was necessary! Planned I tell you, planned! Please don't think I hate her, cause I don't I really don't but they girls needed a bit of a shocker…again. Waaaa…Oh and don't ask me why I made Jun the gun expert, I know in another fanfic I read the author made Ritsu the gun expert, but I just don't see it…I thought I had a little more creative freedom with Jun since we don't see her room so we don't know…her father could be a gun addict, well so could Ritsu's, but oh well…this seems to work pretty well. Well chapter three is done and they are safe, for now…like I said before, things are still going to get worse.


	4. Mutation

Mutation

The group of exhausted and sleeping girls didn't know how much time had passed since they shut the door the night before, but when Nodoka pulled out her cell phone to check, she noticed it was about nine in the morning. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep track of time much longer, for as soon as her battery died she would have to rely on her instincts and keep a watchful eye on the sun's positioning.

Nodoka began to rub her eyes of the sleep before reaching up to grab her glasses off the table near where she and Tsumugi slept and put them on before trying to get up.

First thing she noticed was Tsumugi had a rather tight grip on her waist and she began to try and wiggle out of it.

_Kind of reminds me of being in Yui's grip, good god, Tsumugi-san has a good grip on me!_

Nodoka thought as she finally pulled herself free but not without waking the blonde up from her slumber.

"Huh? What's going on?" Tsumugi mumbled out sleepily as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Time to get up…" Nodoka said as she began to search the wall near by to find the light switch.

Once she found the switch and flipped it on there was a collective groan in the small room as each of the girls started to wake up because of the sudden light.

"Nugh, who turned on the lights?" Ritsu mumbled softly as she turned to bury her face into Mio's bosom while the bassist slept on, oblivious to the lights being turned on or the sudden head pressed between her two perky breasts.

"W-What the? Where am I?" Jun asked as she sat up slightly in the sleeping bag she shared with Ui, not fully awake yet as she tried to take in her surroundings.

Ui was up as well, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before looking over at Nodoka as the more mature girl smiled stiffly at the younger Hirasawa.

"Morning Ui."  
"Morning Nodoka-san…erm…what time is it?"

"About nine, well exactly nine now."  
"Ah, I see. Thank you for waking us up."  
Nodoka nodded and turned to look over at Yui and Azusa and couldn't help but stifle a giggle as she noticed Azusa was awake, but was having a very hard time getting out of Yui's grasp. The older guitarist had a pretty good grip on her kouhai's head and as the girl wiggled and tried to tug it free Yui held on even tighter and pushed Azusa's face between her two soft breasts.

That's when Azusa began to struggle wildly; she had to resort to smacking Yui with an open palm to wake her up. It finally worked and Yui opened her eyes slowly before she noticed someone struggling to get out her grasp.

"Huh?...Oh!" Yui quickly let go and Azusa sat up quickly, taking a deep breath while her face was completely red. At first Yui thought she had deprived her kouhai of air since she was holding onto her so tightly, then she noticed that Azusa was blushing and avoiding her gaze.

_Well, I did push her face between my breasts...so that would be very embarrassing for me too I guess…well no, I think I'd like that._ Yui thought as she smiled brightly before pulling the kouhai into her arms once more, giving her a good morning hug before nuzzling her affectionately.

"Morning Azunyan!"  
"M…M-Morning." Azusa whispered as she pulled herself out of her senpai's grasp once more as Mio finally woke up after Ritsu coaxed her with a few shakes.

"Morning Ritsu." Mio mumbled softly while sitting up to stretch out.  
"Morning sleepyhead…so, what's the plan for today?" Ritsu asked.

_Grrrrrrrrowl~_

All the girls jumped, thinking the sound was a zombie that had somehow got inside the room, however once they noticed that wasn't the case they saw Yui flop down on the bed and give a loud whine.  
"I'm so hungry!"  
"Oh…come to think of it, me too." Nodoka said as she felt her own stomach growl softly.

"We didn't get to eat supper…" Tsumugi stated as she stood up along with everyone else.

"Okay, first order of business this morning is find food…it's not the food that's making everyone sick is it?" Ritsu asked as she started to stretch out her sore limbs.

"No, it was a virus…not very sure how it's caught, but if these things are zombies, being bitten is one of the ways." Nodoka said as she opened the door and looked out into the shop, when she noticed the metal shutters were still in tact she sighed softly and walked out into the store and began to look around.

"Either way, we should find some food so we can make the rest of the trip to the safety zone." Azusa said as she finally got rid of the blush on her face.

"Well, if we can find a place with a stove and food, I can make us something." Ritsu replied as she and Mio walked over to put on their equipment with the rest of the group before Nodoka slowly opened one of the shutters and looked outside.

"I don't see anything…" Nodoka said as she ventured out slowly.

The streets were deserted, of course there were dead bodies everywhere, but she didn't expect not to see any. "It looks clear right now, let's get moving."  
She walked out into the open cautiously while her dark brown eyes scanned the area over and over again while she listened hard for any noises, when she saw and heard nothing she motioned with her hand to the others and the filed out slowly.

"It's really creepy not seeing anyone or hearing anything…this silence is just…unnerving." Jun said as she held her rifle tightly, making sure to keep her finger off the trigger just in case she got startled and accidently pulled the trigger.

"I agree, I don't like all this silence at all…what if it's like the silence before the storm?" Yui asked while walking behind Azusa, a hand gripping her kouhai's dirtied uniform.  
"That's calm before the storm, Yui-senpai." Azusa replied before she noticed something about all their outfits. They were very dirty, not only that there was blood stains on Ritsu, Mio, Yui and herself and she didn't know about the rest of them, but also she felt very unclean at the moment.

"Nodoka-san, should we…clean up a little as well?" Azusa asked suddenly feeling very self-conscious about her appearance.  
Nodoka looked back at the twin tailed girl and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Well…I'm just saying…shouldn't we get…clean clothing at some point?" Azusa asked once more.

"I'm with Azusa, shouldn't we shower or something while we're at it? I mean if this virus is airborne we could already have it, wouldn't personal hygiene help us out here?" Jun asked as well while they stopped in the middle of the abandoned road.

Nodoka brought a hand up to her temples and rubbed them slowly while looking back over her shoulder at the two youngest girls.

"Well…we could, but honestly I think it can wait till after we get saved, I mean just thinking logically…if we happen to come across a place that has more then one bathroom then maybe, but until then we can't just stop for that. We can stop for food though, after all our bodies will need it after all that we've been through so far." Nodoka replied as she motioned to continue on.

In all honesty, Nodoka didn't think she was suited for this type of leadership. Sure she was book smart, but having to deal with things she thought were only fictional was a completely different concept. She knew for a fact that her small medical history wouldn't save them if one of her friends got seriously injured. And that's what really worried her. As they shuffled nervously around the dead bodies she couldn't help but notice a few things, most of the bodies seemed to have been citizens, but there were at least two bodies she saw that were police, and a few she recognized were part of the JSDF. Nodoka wondered briefly if they should try to get to a military outpost instead of the safety zones. What if the rest of the safety zones were like the first one they found?

Empty and deserted.

She didn't have much time to think as she heard Yui gasp out and started jumping up and down excitedly.

"Look! Maxburger!" The airhead shouted while taking a running start towards the restaurant.  
"Wait a minu-Yui! Don't run off!" Nodoka yelled as she chased after her.

The other girls quickly followed as Yui reached the door and moved to open it when Nodoka reached out and gripped her wrist tightly and tugged her away from the door before she could even open it.

"Nodoka-chan?"

"We have to be careful! You could have set off the alarm if the owners set up the security."  
"Why does that matter?" Yui asked as she continued to stare at her childhood friend in confusion. Nodoka slowly let go of Yui, once she was sure the brunette wouldn't go running off again, and slowly walked up to the door and looked inside. It looked a little ransacked and messy, like people had already took what they needed and left.

"For one, there could have been zombies in here and you would have been all by yourself…how do you think we'd feel to watch you get hurt?" Nodoka asked as she frowned disapprovingly at her friend.

Yui began to look down as she took the scolding, shuffling her feet a little as she frowned sadly.

"Second, Yui, do you even realize what these zombies do? Have you been paying any attention to their behavior patterns?"

"N-No, I've been…too busy worrying about everyone else."  
Nodoka instantly felt badly for saying what she had just said and allowed her frown to soften up a little before she continued.

"Well…just…we don't want to make loud noises, they seem to react to that. An alarm going off will probably startle most of the zombies within a close range."  
"Oh…I'm sorry…I'll be more careful." Yui whispered as she looked down. She was about to say more when she felt Nodoka hug her firmly.

"I'm not angry with you Yui, I just don't want to see anyone, especially my best friend, get hurt by these things." Nodoka admitted as she pulled away.  
"None of us want to see anyone get hurt anymore." Ritsu replied as the rest of them gathered around.

"Now, how about we grab ourselves something to eat." Jun stated as she looked at the door, after hearing what Nodoka said she was very hesitant to being the first person to open that door.

"Don't worry, I think we're safe…just be ready in case the alarm does go off." Nodoka said as she walked over to the entrance of Maxburger and pushed it open; when nothing sounded she held it open for the others to walk in.

"So, how are we going to do this? I'm pretty sure this food has to be cooked first before we can eat it." Mio asked as she walked over behind the counter and looked into the kitchen area. There seemed to be a few strung out pieces of hamburger patties as well as random fries.

"I can cook up something, Ui-chan if you'd be so kind as to help me out I'm sure we can make a few things for everyone." Tsumugi said as she walked into the kitchen area and began to pull out a few things.  
"Okay, I guess I could help, I'm a pretty decent cook as is, so this can't be too much more difficult." The brunette joined Tsumugi and as they began to quickly fix up something to eat Ritsu walked over to Nodoka and leaned against the table a bit before looking nervously at the glasses wearing girl.  
"So…sorry about thrusting leadership onto you, it's just…you're way more levelheaded then most of us so…it seemed natural."

"No, no…it's okay. I understand the intention behind it wasn't to stress me out, but there's just so many things that could go wrong in this situation." Nodoka replied as she looked over everyone, taking in their exhausted expressions even though they had gotten a lot of sleep. "I really don't want to be responsible if someone gets hurt…"  
Ritsu followed the gaze and as she scanned each of her friends she couldn't help but linger on Mio's form. She knew right away Mio would rather be anywhere but here. After so many years of knowing the bassist, Ritsu for once wished she could take Mio away, somewhere safe.

"I know what you mean Nodoka, but we're here…all we have to do is be careful and watch each other's backs. Right?"

"Even that isn't enough sometimes…" The violet haired girl whispered as she sat down finally and took off her glasses to rub her eyes once more, trying to ease the pressure building in her head. "Even now, we're at risk of being attacked by those things…"  
"Don't worry, didn't you say yourself they are attracted by sound?"

"I don't know for sure if they can't smell…"

"Oh…"  
"Hey Ritsu, Nodoka, I have food for you." Mio interrupted the drummer and the president politely as she could before she walked up to hand the two a burger and some fries. "Mugi seems to be pretty good at making these things."  
"Well she did work her for a little while baka, I guess some things stuck." Mio replied to Ritsu as she sat down next to the drummer and began to eat while the rest got their food as well.

"Mmm…I was needing this badly!" Yui purred out happily as she stuffed as much food as she could into her stomach while sighing softly.

"Mou, Yui-senpai, slow down. You'll get a stomach ache." Azusa said irritably while taking a napkin to the side of her senpai's face so she could wipe off some crumbs.

"Thank you Mugi-senpai, you too Ui, I'm pretty sure all of us were about to pass out." Jun said as she began to much into the food.  
"No problem, I worked her for a little bit my freshmen year of high school so I still remember how to work the machines back here." Tsumugi replied as she and Ui came out from the kitchen with their own food and sat down to eat.

Once their tummies were full and they took a short bathroom break they were on their way once more to the safety zone.

Nodoka was constantly checking the map they got from the first safety zone to see just how far it was to the next one and she concluded that it would take at least most of the day to get there if things went their way.  
Yui started to get uncomfortable with all the silence as they walked down the lonely streets and she made her way over to her kouhai and wrapped her arms around Azusa's, giving her a brief hug before nuzzling her while walking.

"Azunyan, I'm bored."  
"Yui-senpai, this really isn't the time-"  
"Hey…what's that?" Both Yui and Azusa stopped and turned to look towards Mio who looked pretty focused on something just a short distance ahead.

Nodoka followed the gaze and those dark brown eyes fell onto what looked like a puddle of toxic goo from old horror movies. The glasses girl slowly walked up towards the stuff, followed closely by the others, before she knelt down near the puddle to look at it in confusion.

"What the…what is this stuff?" Nodoka whispered to herself as she breathed in slightly, she instantly regretted it for the puddle gave of a horrible stench that made her jump up and cover her nose and mouth in disgust.

"Ugh! That's horrible!"  
"Nodoka? What?" Ritsu asked as she walked up to the green goo and instantly covered her mouth and nose as well. "Ew! I didn't know there was something that could smell worse then puke, ugh gross!"

"Thanks for giving everyone that visual." Mio said as she looked around and grabbed a stick that was nearby and slowly walked over to the goo and began poking it while holding it nose.

As Mio did this she instantly noticed that the tip of the stick began to instantly dissolve in the goo and as she pulled it out to inspect it her stormy grey eyes widened at how cleanly it had been eaten away.

"That…isn't natural." Mio whispered as she turned to look at Nodoka and Ritsu who were just as shocked by the discovery as their friend was.

"Okay…maybe that's a military weapon, can't kill the zombies? Douse them with green smelly goo that eats them away like stomach acid." Ritsu replied as she and the others backed away from the puddle.

"Okay, everyone listen up, see that puddle?" Nodoka asked as she looked back towards the kouhai, Yui, and Tsumugi, noticing their gaze was on that slime. "If you see it while we are running from zombies or whatever else is out here, do not step in it or touch it at all, it'll easily eat through our shoes and…quite possibly the skin too."

"Actually!"

A new voice caused the girls to almost scream in terror as they all turned around and trained their weapons on the source of the noise. The woman that had spoken instantly raised her hands in the air and gave a yelp before waving her hands at them. "Whoa whoa whoa! Don't shoot! I'm not a zombie!"

"Kami-sama, don't do that!" Ritsu yelled as she lowered her gun with the rest of them. "If you can't tell, we've been through a lot, sudden noises don't sit well with us."  
"Sorry, my bad…erm, but I thought you should know that goo you've been poking at, it actually can eat through flesh and bone very fast if it's not cleaned off quick enough." The woman stated as she slowly walked over to the group of girls, hands still in the air.

Now that Nodoka was looking at the woman she noticed a few things the others were probably just now realizing as well. She was definitely an adult that much was for sure, but then Nodoka saw the medical pack on her back and the medical supplies around her waist that were connected to a belt. The woman also wore all white as well as a surgical mask while her light blue eyes scanned each of her friends before landing on Nodoka.

"Which one of you is the…leader of this little group?" The woman asked.

"Uhm…" Ritsu looked towards Nodoka, who seemed frozen, and was about to reply when the glasses girl finally snapped out of her trance.

"I-I am." Nodoka said as she walked towards the woman.

"S-Stop right there! Don't come any closer, just…stay there for a moment."

Nodoka was thoroughly confused by the lady's behavior as she dug into her pouch on her belt and pulled out something before tossing it to the ground near Nodoka's feet.

It was pack surgical masks.

"Uh…Why do I need this?" Nodoka asked as she raised an eyebrow at the woman.

"Precaution, I don't want to catch…that virus." The woman replied making the girls blink in confusion once more.

"But we don't have it." Azusa stated as she began to glare at the woman.

"Before we get into this, just put those on, and to show you how serious I am about this I'll tell you who I am. My name is Hortori Sachi…you can call me Sachi-san. I'm a field medic for the JSDF. One of the last of…my unit." Sachi said as she bowed a little.

Nodoka finally took pity on the woman and began to pass out the surgical masks to everyone before walking back over to Sachi.

"I'm sorry to hear you're the last…my name is Manabe Nodoka, these are my friends. Hirasawa Yui and her sister Ui, Tainaka Ritsu, Akiyama Mio, Kotobuki Tsumugi, Nakano Azusa-chan, and Suzuki Jun-chan."

"I'm sorry we had to meet like this…I would say nice to meet you, but…" Sachi whispered morbidly before shaking her head. "Now's not the time for that…you want answers right? I bet you're just so lost and confused right now…probably lost family? Friends?"

"Both…actually." Mio said softly, swallowing a sudden lump in her throat at the mention of losses.

"Get on with it, if you're just here to tell us about what upsets us the most, we're just going to leave." Ritsu said firmly as she began to frown hard at the medic.

"A-Ah, gomen, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories, just…trying to sympathize. Anyways, that stuff, you were poking came from one of the infected, since they all look alike except this one, I'm going to call it a…vomiter." Sachi stated as she walked over to it. "It's acidic and smells very potent…the other infect are attracted to this stuff once it's rejected from the vomiter's body."  
"That's…gross." Jun said as she made a face under the surgical mask.

"See Ritsu, they can smell." Nodoka said softly to the drummer causing her to nod softly.

"It is, but it's very deadly like I said…so, listen to your leader and don't touch it…it'll be even worse if it gets spat on you."

"How do you know so much about these things, Sachi-san?" Tsumugi asked as she stared at the woman.

"Like I said, I am the last of my unit that was sent here to observe what these things do so we can figure out how to eradicate them. Aside from the normal infected, there seems to be…mutations of the virus that changes them to be something different. I've given names to some of them that I've seen." Sachi said as she pulled out a small paper and began to read out loud the names on it. "I have vomiter, tonguer, pouncer, screamer, and…never seen this one, but heard other units talk about it over the radio, but we have another infected running around out there that we've dubbed the panzer."

As Ritsu listened to the woman name off the infect names she couldn't help but laugh at some of them.

"If you're going to give them names, why not just take names from video games and make it easier and not…as stupid, no offence." Ritsu asked as she looked at the green goo once more. "Like for the vomiter thingy, why not just call it a boomer, like in Left For Dead. And the tonguer could be the smoker! Hell even the pouncer could have an easier name, like the hunter."  
"You think this is a game?" Sachi asked as she frowned hard at the brunette, making the drummer shut up under the intense stare. "I can assure you that this isn't…people are dead because of what is happening, I was only being technical when I made these names…and why would I name the tonguer smoker? It wasn't smoking the last time I looked at it."  
"Uhm…sorry to interrupt, but…what's a panzer?" Yui asked as she looked at the woman curiously.

Sachi turned her head to the guitarist and began to shift nervously.

"I'm not sure, but from what I've heard over the radio, it's powerful…not sure how powerful, but apparently so strong it takes more then just five men with assault rifles to kill it."  
"Creepy…" Mio whispered before she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. As she turned to see what it was it quickly vanished out of her line of sight. After hearing about all these mutations she couldn't help but get worried as she moved closer to Ritsu and clung onto her uniform.  
"Ritsu…I think there's something here…"  
"Huh? What do you mean Mio?" Ritsu asked as she turned to look around the empty street. Sharp golden eyes quickly looked around before she heard a soft gurgling noise. It didn't sound like any of the zombies they had seen so far and as her heart rate began to climb she pushed her best friend backwards.

"Guys, I think we've been in one spot too long." Ritsu said as she continued to scan the area for the source of the noise.  
"I agree, look Sachi-san, we appreciate all you've done for us, but we really need to get going to the next safety zone." Nodoka stated as she turned to walk down the street.  
"They won't help you."

Nodoka stopped and instantly turned back around.

"What did you say?"  
"I said, they won't help you…you want to know why?" Sachi asked as her eyes showed sadness and compassion towards the group of girls she just met.

Ritsu wasn't paying much attention to the conversation as she suddenly got a feeling of dread in her stomach that was heavier then lead as her eyes flicked up onto the roofs of the buildings. She didn't expect to see a zombie up there, but once her eyes did a quick scan, she saw a rather strange looking figure standing on the top of one of the buildings before it looked like it was choking on something.

"What the…Mio move now!"  
Her eyes widened when she realized what it was doing and that her friend wasn't moving, so she quickly pushed Mio away with all her might. Her mind was on only one thing, save her best friend, nothing else mattered. And as she turned to move herself she felt something wet land on her left arm as she pulled it back and out of the way of the sudden spray of green slime.

Mio could only watch in horror as some of the vile goo clung to Ritsu's left arm and her childhood friend let out a piercing scream of pain as it quickly ate through the sleeve of her uniform and began to eat away at her skin.

The wet feeling suddenly turned into a searing pain that she had never experienced before. If she had to describe what it was like to have liquid fire suddenly appear on her arm, this would be the best way to describe it. She couldn't even stop the screams of pain as she collapsed to the ground and raised her hand to try and bat away the slime.

However, before she could do that she felt a hand grab her own and pinned her down before she felt something very cold press against the burning skin.  
"Shut up, girl! Stop squirming and let me help you!"

Ritsu vaguely heard someone talking to her, but her vision began to blur with tears as she struggled slightly against the hold.

"You! Uhm…Girl with black hair, get over here and hold your friend down, I can save her arm but you have to be fast! Everyone else, get ready to fight, there's going to be a rush of infected!"

"…" Mio was frozen, she watched wide eyed as Ritsu continued to scream as tears ran down her face.

"Mio! Help her!" Tsumugi yelled when a roar drowned out the rest of her words as a mob of zombies began to run towards them from all directions.

Something in Mio finally snapped and she was at her friend's side, she held Ritsu down as the woman began to quickly clean the acidic slime off the drummer's arm with a cloth that smelt a bit like the smell of a hospital.

While the two of them worked on Ritsu, the others began to get use to their new weapons as they picked off each infected that got too close, Tsumugi seemed to be going on pure will to save her friends, same as Yui, while Azusa, Jun and Ui focused hard on trying to take down the zombies that got way too close.

At one point a zombie almost tackled Azusa over, but a Les Paul descended on the infected faster then it could jump, blood splattering the ground near the startled kouhai before she shot Yui a thankful look.

Nodoka didn't like being in the middle of a street and doing this, but they didn't have any other choice. She turn noticed the vomiter doing the choking movements again and quickly aimed the gun at it, it was far away, very far, if she missed...no she couldn't think about what would happen if she missed, she had to hit it. She pulled the trigger of the gun and watched with eerie fascination as the bullet pierced the vomiter's head.

A clean shot.

The zombie's body tumbled off the top of the roof and onto the street where green goo began to pool around its body. The other infected suddenly turned towards the body of the fallen zombie and instantly ran towards it, ignoring the girls as they all began to tear into the body.

"We have to run! Now's our chance!" Nodoka yelled as she looked down at Sachi and Mio. She noticed that Ritsu had stopped screaming and was how focusing on breathing while the JSDF medic bandaged up her arm after tearing off the useless sleeve of her blue jacket and white dress shirt underneath fast before picking the girl up while Mio looked on worriedly.  
"I'll carry her, run, we can take shelter in the shop to our right!" Sachi yelled as she ran ahead while the other girls followed. Nodoka sprinted ahead and quickly opened the door and allowed the others to run in before she shut the door and pulled down the metal bars so the zombies wouldn't get in. She finally noticed what type of shop this was and couldn't help but be thankful they ran into a medical clinic.

As she locked the gates in place she could hear panic in everyone's voice as they all began to crowd around Ritsu.

"Ricchan! What happened to her!" Yui yelled as she got on her knees near her fallen friend as Sachi laid her down on one of the tables while Mio looked on, her wide eyes full of tears as she took in the wounded state of her friend.

"Will she be okay? Please say she will, we can lose her too!" Tsumugi yelled as tears began to fall from her eyes.

"Ritsu-senpai…" Azusa whimpered out as she looked on worriedly.

"She'll be okay, calm down. We were able to save her arm so…don't worry so much." Sachi said as she sat down on the floor to catch her breath.

Ritsu's eyes were half-lidded as they stared blankly up at the ceiling, her fingers on her wounded arm would twitch occasionally as she let out a soft whimper of pain. Finally, after all the adrenaline left Mio's system she dropped to her eyes and tears began to stream down her reddened cheeks as she let out a stifled sob.

"I-It's all my fault, i-if I had just moved like she told me too…she…she wouldn't be like this." Mio cried out as her body got rocked by the power sobs coming from her body, she was pretty sure no one understood how she felt, she felt horrible for freezing up like that and risking Ritsu's life just because she couldn't move out of fear.  
"Mio-senpai…" Azusa said softly as she moved to go comfort her, but she stopped when Yui grabbed her hand and motioned back to Ritsu. Garnet orbs went to her fallen senpai and noticed the blank look was gone and she was staring at Mio with worry and pain in her eyes.

"…M-Mio…" Slowly Ritsu tried to push herself off the table but when she couldn't she just relaxed on the surface before resorted to speaking instead. "H-Hey…it's okay…I….I'll be fine…just hurts a little that's all."

"B-But! What if you change! That stuff ate through your arm! What if-"  
"She won't change." Sachi said as she looked up from her spot on the floor at the group of young girls.

"Why?" Jun asked as she kept a comforting hand on Ui's arm as she stared at the medic. "You also said the safety zone people wouldn't help us…why?"

"You really want to know?" Sachi asked, once again that solemn look was back in her eyes.

"Tell us, we have a right to know." Nodoka said as she glared at the medic. Sure, she was thankful she saved Ritsu's life, but what was she hiding?

"I'm sorry to say…but the reason you won't get saved is because you're all already infected."

* * *

Author Note: Oh, I think this is the most evil cliffhanger yet. I worked really hard on this chapter, I may not be the best at the action sequences, but that's only because I haven't gotten to the part where they will be fighting for their lives yet…well this was just a taste, I've got it all planned out so don't worry. Also, hope you guys enjoy my little OC for this story, Hortori Sachi, the Japanese Self Defense Force special field medic. I had to throw in someone who knew something about helping others or...I wouldn't have been able to keep the girls alive. I wanna thank Mr. Kyon for that little piece of advice. Anyways, back on the subject of the action sequences, they'll get better, I'll get there eventually. Whew, I think I need to take a break from this and make a happy prompt in We All Float Along or make the Houkago Teatime: Next Generation one-shot. Either way, thank you for the reviews on this once more, and I appreciate the helpful tips I've gotten, as for the beta-ing, still waiting on someone to write me back, and we'll see how that goes. ^_^


	5. Plight of the Carrier

Plight of the Carrier

"We're…already infected?" Jun asked, obviously just as stunned as the rest of the group.

Nodoka didn't understand, how could they be infected if they didn't show any signs of flu-like symptoms? They weren't ill or anything, a little scared and panic filled, but that would be normal for any young teen going through something like this.

"I…don't understand, can you elaborate a little Sachi-san?" Nodoka finally asked as she finally got her brain over the bump it had encountered while trying to process what she had just heard.

Sachi slowly got up and began to rub the back of her head while trying to think of a easy way to explain the situation to the young girls.

"Okay, so…like I said there are many different types of infected, the ones that die from the flu-like symptoms and become reanimated…and the ones who…don't die, but keep infecting people through simple things such as physical contact or breathing. We call those people who are infected, but don't show it, carriers." Sachi explained as she walked over to one of the medicine cabinets and began to look through the pills in there.

"So, lets say a carrier gets bitten by an infect already turned…what will happen to the carrier? Well if the bite wound isn't deep or fatal, nothing will happen. As long as the wound isn't on a vial organ or isn't deep and it's treatable the carrier will continue to live on. However, once the carrier dies, that's when they'll be reanimated. Let's say they live to be a hundred, they'll die of natural causes and turn once they stop breathing."  
"Really? T-That's…" Ui whispered as she sat down in a chair to process the information she was just fed. "So, no matter what we're…doomed?"  
"I wouldn't say that. Look on the bright side, you can still live on normally…just…you won't be able to…be around normal people…and because of that people like the military will either kill you first or…" Sachi stopped talking and shook her head furiously before pulling a bottle of pills out of the cabinet and walked back over to Ritsu with a glass of water in her hands.  
"Or what?" Azusa asked worriedly, she didn't know what was worse then being killed off like the rest of the zombies since they were technically still human.

Sachi just sighed and helped Ritsu sit up before pulling out two pills.  
"Open your mouth, take these and drink all of this." Sachi commanded before she turned back to face the girls. "…I was sent here to observe what the special infected do…to be able to catch people like you…it would mean they would do experiments on you to try and find a cure for the virus."  
"Isn't that a good thing?" Tsumugi inquired as she pulled up a chair next to Yui as they watched Ritsu take the pills before laying back down with a soft moan of pain as her eyes fluttered, she looked close to passing out.

"The way they were saying about testing didn't sound humane…it's torture. That's why I didn't kill you or turn you into my superiors. I'd hate to see such young people being tortured just to be killed once they found the cure." Sachi replied as she sat down once more. "It's a horrible world you live in right now, girls. But I'll help get you somewhere safe, but then we'll have to part ways…I can't stay with you forever after all."  
"But we need someone with medical experience! What if one of us gets hurt again?" Azusa yelled as she began to shake in fear, she was worried not only for herself but for her senpai and friends. She didn't want to witness anyone else getting hurt like Ritsu.

"It's just a matter of time before I catch the virus just from being around you. But while I'm with you, I'll teach you how to dress a wound and how to clean off the vomiter spit…maybe even teach you how to set a bone." Sachi admitted as she got up once more and walked to the other side of the room. "You might want to rest, your friend isn't going anywhere for a little while. Have to wait for those pills to kick in."  
"What did you give her?" Yui asked as she noticed that Ritsu had fallen unconscious.  
"Pain pills, strong enough to knock out a horse. She'll be out of it for a while, so just relax while you can, I'll figure out where to take you once we rest up."  
Nodoka frowned towards the older woman before she sat down in a chair across from the others and looked over the prone form of Ritsu with worry in her eyes, then they shifted to Mio, who had finally gotten up and moved to sit beside the table and lay her head near Ritsu's.

Nodoka couldn't help but wonder just how much it was hurting Mio to see her friend in such a comatose state, she wished she could offer her reassurance, but they didn't know just what had happened to Ritsu. She was once again reminded of why the members of the Light Music Club were so close, for as soon as Mio rested her head near Ritsu, the comatose girl reacted by slowly reaching up with her uninjured arm to hold her friend's hand while Yui shifted her chair over to the raven-haired girl before placing a hand on her back, rubbing up and down. Tsumugi and Azusa also shifted closer to the worried girl to help try and soothe her before Nodoka took her eyes off them and saw Sachi looking at a rather detailed map of the city. She couldn't help but move over to the area she was at and put the surgical mask back over her mouth before kneeling next to the woman.

"Can I ask you a question?" Nodoka asked as her dark brown eyes stared intently at the woman.  
"Sure, what's on your mind kid?" Sachi asked as she let her eyes look up from the map.

"Why didn't you turn us in?"

"I didn't have the heart to break up what looked like a family just so they could be tortured and killed like animals." Sachi whispered as she looked back down and began to mark in red a route to take towards the sea. Nodoka followed the pattern and blinked in confusion as she noticed they were going to be heading towards a dock.

"Why are you taking us to a dock?"

"We need to be able to get a ocean map to see if there are any islands nearby so you girls can go there and be safe…isolated from the rest of the world."  
"Why are you doing this for us? Really?" Nodoka pushed once more as she continued to stare the woman down, wanting a real answer.  
"…okay I'll tell you the truth…you remind me of my daughter…a little older then her…but you have the same eyes and…I can't stand to see her die again…so I'm helping you. We'll need to get you a lot of supplies so you all can make the trip…"

Nodoka stopped the harsh glare she was giving Sachi when she heard the truth, it made her heart sink when she realized that probably most JSDF had lost family members as well and probably didn't want to see people who were trying to survive just to get killed off by the military.

"Thank you…for saving her. And us…I can't speak for all of them, but I'm sure they'd tell you the same." Nodoka said softly as she got up slowly. "If you need us to do anything, we will, least we can do since you helped us."  
"Thank you…Manabe-san was it? Yes…thank you, but that won't be necessary, I just need to get you guys out of here." Sachi replied before she went back to mapping out a route.

"Do you think Ricchan was…in a lot of pain?" Yui asked worriedly as she and the others watched their friend sleep, the drummer's chest raising and falling in a slow motion, it was a lot less worrisome then watching her scream and writhe in pain.

Mio, however, still wasn't reacting to her friend's reassuring touches; she was focused solely on Ritsu's hand as she clutched it tightly in her own. Her friend had nearly lost her arm just to save her pathetic life, Mio felt like she didn't deserve such a friend, after all, all she had done was cower in fear.

"Girls, why don't you go into the patient rooms and take a short nap on the cots in there. I'll get you in about an hour and thirty minutes." Sachi said loud enough for everyone to hear.

Jun and Ui were first to head towards the back, they took their guns in case they happened upon some infected that were still inside the clinic, but thankfully it was clear for now.

Soon Tsumugi and Nodoka left as well before Yui looked over at Azusa who gave her a small glance before getting up to walk with her senpai to the back.

Azusa knew they were going to talk about something, she just didn't know what. Yui had a really worried look on her face and she was shaking ever so slightly. So when they found a room that was empty she lead Yui inside and shut the door before turning towards her senpai.

"Yui-senpai? Are you okay?"

"…Y-Yeah…I think so…just…shaken." Yui whispered as she sat Gitah on the ground and knelt down in front of him to look at the damage. "Azunyan?"

"Hai?"

"…Is Gitah fixable? I mean…I've used him a lot to…make sure you didn't get hurt, but I don't care if he c-can't be fixed…but just curious if there's a way." Yui asked as she ran her fingers down the dented base before fiddling with the very loose strings as well as eyeing the curve in the neck that wasn't there before.

Azusa got down on her knees beside her lovable senpai and began to eye the damage before sighing ever so softly.  
"Maybe Yui-senpai…but it'll cost a lot of money…Gitah is pretty banged up."  
"Yeah…" Yui said before unfocused eyes turned to look at her kouhai. Azusa blinked, feeling a bit uncomfortable under the intense gaze as she got up and quickly turned around to look at the pictures on the wall.  
"I never liked doctor's offices, these pictures really freaked me out when I was younger…" Azusa admitted as she looked at a diagram of a human head. "I really didn't like being able to see what was inside of me…"  
"Hmm…" Yui hummed as she stood up and walked slowly over to her kouhai and stared at the back of her head, eyes still unfocused, as if she was thinking rather hard on a certain thought.

As Azusa turned to look into those unfocused eyes she couldn't help but feel a bit agitated.

"What are you doing Yui-senpai? Why are you looking at me like that?"  
Yui didn't say anything as she reached out slowly and stroked the side of Azusa's face, thumbing over one of the bloodstains before her eyes suddenly came into focus.

"I…was just thinking Azunyan…about how we met…and how much fun we've had together the last two years…but after seeing Ricchan get hurt like she did…and seeing how Mio-chan is reacting to it…I think I have to tell you what's been on my mind recently, before all this happened." Yui said softly as she tugged the stunned kouhai close and wrapped her arms around her tightly, hugging her firmly while burying her face into that messy hair. She inhaled deeply, taking in Azusa's scent causing the younger guitarist to blush before her own arms wrapped around her senpai's waist as she nuzzled firmly into Yui's chest.

"And…what did you want to tell me?" Azusa asked as she looked up into Yui's face from under her chin.

"Azunyan...lately…I've been think so much about you…how cute you are…and how wonderful of a friend you've been to me." Yui said as she brought both hands up to caress the girl's red cheeks before pushing their foreheads together.

Azusa suddenly couldn't breath, or felt like she couldn't as her face lit up in a bright blush as she listened to Yui's words. Not only did it suddenly feel really hot in the room they were in, but also Azusa's chest felt like it was trying to cave in on itself from the anticipation she felt.

"W-What are you…trying to say, Yui-senpai?"

Yui opened her mouth to speak, but when the words failed to come out she slowly tried to think of another way she could express what she wanted to tell Azusa. After all, Yui finally realized that the reason she had been thinking so much about her kouhai was because she had become enamored with the girl. She didn't think it would be that hard to say three simple words, but apparently, being this close and still in so much shock about all that has happened made it much more difficult to say.

But she came up with a wonderful solution. She slowly leaned in, and felt Azusa move backwards, trying to keep the distance between their lips apart, but Yui finally decided to speak to calm Azusa down.

"It'd be best if…I just show you what I feel." Yui whispered when she finally felt Azusa stop moving, since the kouhai had back herself against the wall, and she leaned in slowly and pressed her lips firmly against Azusa's.

Azusa's body tensed and she inhaled sharply when she felt those moist, warm, and soft lips touch her own and her body and mind suddenly became numb, she was vaguely aware of Yui pressing her body against her own while those hands there were on her cheeks slide down to wrap around her waist and hold her closer.

_She…s-she's in love with me?_ Azusa thought to herself as she felt Yui pull back a little after realizing Azusa wasn't contributing to the kiss.

"D-Did I do something w-wrong Azunyan?" Yui asked worriedly, eyes wide with fear that she went too far or broke their friendship.

After seeing the worry in those eyes and the harmless intent in them Azusa finally snapped out of her shock and reached up, cupping those warm cheeks in her hands before pulling Yui back down to kiss her, maybe a bit too roughly, to show she didn't mind.

_What's the harm in doing this now? I noticed her getting closer to me anyways…this really shouldn't have surprised me…but since I'm kissing her back…does that mean I like her too?_ Azusa thought as she tilted her head with Yui's and couldn't help but close her eyes when she felt a curious tongue prod her lips. Nervously, Azusa opened her mouth and her legs nearly gave out from under her when she felt Yui's tongue rub against her own in such a slow and tender manner. Yui was just exploring for now, seeing what it was like to kiss her sweet kouhai like this while her hands rubbed up and down her back slowly as they enjoyed the taboo of tongue kissing. Soon though, the need for air became too great and they slowly parted, breath mingling together as they panted heavily. Chocolate eyes looked into garnet, searching the depths for an answer to a question she had just asked but was still confused about. Azusa caught her breath and slowly began to understand why Yui was doing this. It was a dangerous world now; they didn't have anyone else, just each other. This was Yui's way of saying she would protect her with her life. Azusa didn't want her to do that, but at the same time, she would give her life to make sure her senpai was all right as well. So, she swallowed hard, still light headed from the kiss and she nodded firmly against Yui's cheek.  
"…I know what you're doing senpai…but I don't want you to…get yourself hurt for me…do you understand?"

"I do…but will you promise me the same thing…I wouldn't be able to stand it if you got hurt Azunyan…"

Azusa nodded once more before she leaned up for another reassuring kiss. Once they pulled apart Azusa lead Yui to the cot and slowly laid down while Yui got on top of her.

"Does this mean we're dating Azunyan?"  
"…I don't know senpai, but…I do know I…really like you and…I don't think we could go to movies or a restaurant in a time like this. But...I like your kisses…" Azusa admitted as she blushed deeply. "Maybe we can reassure each other like that…"  
"Ah, I see what you mean…very well…because I like you a lot too Azunyan…I won't let anything happen to you." Yui whispered softly as she laid down on her side and pulled Azusa close so they could cuddle before they closed their eyes to take a short nap since they would be moving soon once more.

After Sachi left the lobby to go rest as well, Mio was left alone with Ritsu for the time being. Stormy grey eyes never left her injured friend as she stroked Ritsu's knuckles with her thumb before standing up to get on the table right beside her. Mio began to unbutton her uniform jacket and laid it on top of herself and Ritsu as she curled up next to the injured girl before putting an arm around her waist to pull her closer.

"I'm so sorry Ritsu…" Mio whispered as she felt more tears come to her eyes as she stared at Ritsu's unresponsive figure while hugging her gently. "I'm sorry I'm such a coward…if it wasn't for me you wouldn't be like this. I…I hope you wake up soon…come back…tell me about there being barnacles on my leg or…tell me about your blisters popping…tease me again…please." Mio whimpered out as she felt her face twist in pain and agony as Ritsu didn't move as she begged for a sign of life from the comatose drummer. "I miss you…I need you Ritsu…those things out there…they don't scare me anymore…I just w-want to protect you now…please wake up…let me…see your beautiful eyes again and that stupid grin." Mio said as she got up on her arms and hovered over Ritsu's prone form and she slowly scanned the drummer's body, looking at the cuts and wounds she got protecting her as they ran from the school, then her grey misted eyes looked at the bandaged arm and she could feel her throat tighten as she sobbed softly before she slowly reached out to touch it. In her mind she could still remember seeing how Ritsu's skin turned almost an ugly purplish color as the acidic slime began to eat away at the skin, she was thankful that it didn't seem to dissolve as fast as it did through the clothing. But the way the skin bubbled when she watched Sachi work to remove the goo wouldn't leave Mio's mind. She hated to see Ritsu in that much pain. She had never seen Ritsu in pain before, come to think about it. She made a mental note to try and be a better friend and protect her as best she could. After Mio stroked the arm that was injured softly she noticed Ritsu flinch in her sleep before those eyes fluttered open. Now Mio was stuck with a problem, she was still hovering over her friend on all fours looking down at Ritsu like she was about to kiss her and her mind instantly began to fire all sorts of images in her head of her friend yelling at her, calling her a pervert, their friendship ending there and she began to blush deeply and her body froze. She cursed herself for this state that she got herself into as those golden eyes slowly opened and they locked onto her own wide grey eyes.

"M-mio?" Ritsu whispered hoarsely as she blinked slowly in confusion as the sleep began to wear off.

"A-Ah…hey Ritsu." Mio mumbled numbly as she stared down at her now wide-awake friend. Soon the drummer began to scan Mio's body noticing that she had taken off the dark blue jacket and had draped it over her and then noticed how she was hovering over her.

"W-what are y-you doing? Why are you…uhm…on top of me?"  
"…Can I get back to you on that…?"

Soon a small smirk appeared on the drummer's lips as she began to talk in her cutesy girly voice.

"Oh no, Mio is embarrassed after I find her looking longingly into my sleepy face wondering if I'll ever come out of my-"  
"Baka!"

"Don't hit! I'm injured! ARGH!" Ritsu yelled in pain as she reacted to Mio raising her fist by snapping up both arms to cover her head but her left arm began to complain loudly at the movement and it made her twist in pain and clutch the injured arm tightly.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry! I...I wasn't going to hit you…" Mio whispered as she reached out and took Ritsu's face in her hands and began to stroke the cheeks, trying to soothe the pain away. "I'm so _so _sorry, god I'm an idiot."  
"N-no…you're not an idiot Mio…I just reacted out of instinct…I forgot I was hurt." Ritsu said comfortingly as she reached up with her uninjured hand and put it behind Mio's neck before pulling her down so their foreheads could touch. "Hey…no more tears…I'll be fine."

Mio nodded softly against the skin of her friend before grey eyes opened to stare into golden. Mio could feel her heart beating faster then she had ever felt it beat before as she saw an unknown emotion pass through those still pained eyes.

"Ritsu…can I ask you something?"  
"Of course…what is it?"

Mio slowly got off the table and just moved to sit down while she looked down at her friend as her face began to turn red.

"Have…you ever thought about love before?" Mio asked as she began to shuffle in her place while fiddling with her skirt.

Ritsu blinked a few times in confusion and began to blush when she remembered the love letter, or what she thought was a love letter, from Mio in her mailbox.

"Well…once I thought about it. I haven't really had time to think about it recently…especially with me getting spat on by a zombie."  
"About that-"  
"You've beaten yourself up enough about it Mio, no more okay? I'm fine." Ritsu said firmly as she sat up and moved to sit next to her friend. "Now tell me why are you asking so suddenly about love…"  
Mio licked her dry lips as she tried to think of a way to tell Ritsu her feelings without ending their friendship. Well it wasn't like the girl could go anywhere, so now was the best time, so with a heavy sigh and a small whimper she turned to face Ritsu and pressed her lips against the wounded girl's cheek before pulling away to cover her mouth shyly at what she just did.

Ritsu's eyes were wide and she couldn't stop a blush that made it's way onto her cheeks as a hand came up to touch the warm spot where Mio's lips had been.

"…Oh." Ritsu mumbled incoherently as her brain tried to process what just happened.

"I-I don't want to ever lose you as a friend Ritsu…but now that we're in this…hell hole…I don't want to see you get hurt again…I've been…feeling this way about you for…quite a while. But you're so dense you know that!" Mio yelled as she began to cry softly. "You never caught any of the signs I gave you…didn't even realize what my lyrics meant, you just thought they were itchy…I hated you sometimes, but then again, I can't hate you for long you baka…" Mio mumbled softly as she refused to look at Ritsu's face, she was too afraid to see disappointment or hate directed at her. She then felt a hand on her own and when she turned to look at Ritsu she felt soft lips touch her own. They kissed cautiously for a few moments before they pulled apart to stare at each other.  
"W-Why did you…?"

"Well…I didn't want to admit my feelings for you because I didn't…think you were actually trying to get my attention with those songs…I thought it was just me being too desperate and over thinking the lyrics." Ritsu admitted as she turned her head to avoid to stunned gaze of the girl that just confessed to her. "After all…how was I suppose to know you actually…"  
"So…does that mean you…like me too?" Mio asked as she put her hands on Ritsu's back, rubbing up and down her spine tenderly as she listened to the drummer speak.

"Of course, dummy…how could I not like you?" Ritsu whispered as she turned back around and put her uninjured arm around Mio's shoulders and pulled her closer to they could once again put their foreheads together. "I love your facial expressions the most…why do you think I teased you so much?" Ritsu asked as she smirked ever so slightly at the raven-haired girl. Mio chuckled softly before staring into those now bold golden eyes, she began to smile a little before leaning in to press her lips once more against Ritsu's. It wasn't aggressive or fast; it was just perfect for Mio though. Slow, sensual, exploring cautiously while Mio carefully put her arms around Ritsu's waist and pulled her closer before she felt the girl grimace against the kiss. She quickly pulled away when she noticed Ritsu was frowning in pain.  
"G-Gomen, I didn't want to end the kiss, but my arm-"  
"Do you want me to go get Sachi-san? She'll probably give you more of that medi-" She was silenced once more with a kiss before being pulled down to the table.  
"No…don't leave me…"Ritsu whispered as she buried her face into Mio's neck and closed her eyes. "I just need to rest a little."  
"Oh…okay…I'll stay then with you…" Mio whispered as she pulled her jacket back over the both of them before putting an arm around Ritsu's waist as she felt her friend snuggle closer.  
"Thanks for telling me how you felt Mio…I'll need you to get through all this…"  
"Me too Ritsu…I don't think I'd be able to make it as far as we did if you hadn't been there…"  
"Let's not think about that for now and just focus on…living…okay?" Ritsu asked as she leaned up once more and kissed Mio softly before pressing her face back into her neck to sleep a little longer. Mio felt her eyes slowly close as she held Ritsu's warmth close to her. She was happy they finally talked about that, and she knew that even though they had little chance of surviving this horrendous event, she was happy to at least get that much off her chest.

No one got much sleep or rest as Sachi called for everyone to get back into the main lobby of the clinic. When they all filed into the room Yui was the first to notice Ritsu was up and she instantly ran over to her wounded friend and threw her arms around her in a tight hug.

"Ricchan!"  
"A-Ah, Yui! Still hurt!" Ritsu yelled out as she tried to relinquish herself from the hug before Azusa pulled her senpai off.  
"Sorry about that Ritsu-senpai, but I'm so glad you're okay!" Azusa said happily as she reached out to hug her softly as Tsumugi came over to join in the hugging as well, both of them being as gentle as possible.

"Hey hey, you guys are acting like I died…I was fine from what I heard…just-"  
"Passed out from pain?…but that doesn't stop us from worrying, Ricchan, we're really glad to see you up though." Tsumugi replied as she and Azusa let go of their friend and watched curiously as Sachi walked over with another glass of water and some more pills.

"Here, keep a hold of this bottle, you'll need to take those at least twice a day. It'll help with the healing…the spit from the vomiter is kind of like…no actually it is acid, so you're lucky we got it cleaned off when we did." Sachi said as she watched the drummer down the pills as well as the water.

"Yeah, don't like the idea of losing an arm." Ritsu said as she looked down at the bandage and sighed softly before she felt Mio place a hand on her shoulder.

"I think we need to put that in a sling too…to you know, keep it from moving around a lot." Mio said softly as she pulled away from the drummer to look for one in the lobby.

"Oh, good idea, while we are at it I think we need to know more about these…mutated infected." Nodoka stated as she walked over to Sachi and motioned her to sit down. "Can you give us all the information you can on the different types you know of?"

"I guess that would be a good idea, that why I won't be the only one looking out for them. All right, let's see," Sachi pulled out her note pad and began flipping through a few pages before coming to a stop on one page. "I suggest you girls sit down and listen carefully to what I am about to say…" Sachi whispered as Mio came back with a sling and began to help Ritsu get it on, she couldn't help but feel a little horrible as her girlfriend let out a few whimpers of pain as she slide the arm through the sling so it could rest there. Once she was done she sat down on the table with Ritsu and turned her attention to the field medic.

"You met the vomiter, horrible little mutation that it is…and you can always tell when they are about to spit, they make choking noises and are pretty easy to hear if you're not surrounded by other infected." Sachi said as she held up a small sketch of one she had seen before. "Most of them look a little like this, long neck, kind of chubby around the middle, but the thing that sets them off as vomiters is the fact that their lower jaw has been eaten away by the acid from their mouth."

She then turned the page once more and held up a sketch of another mutated infected. This one seemed to look a little more human if it wasn't for the fact that it didn't look like it had tried to swallow a watermelon whole and it got stuck in it's throat. "This is the tonguer," Ritsu laughed at the name, but was silenced by the glare the medic gave her. "The reason it's neck looks the way it does is because it has a very long tongue it uses to capture its prey. The way they work is they strangle their victims with their tongues and feast on their flesh once they stop moving…they are another type of infect that likes to stay high above ground so mostly found on roof tops and things like that. They make a noise that sounds sort of like a frog, except more…disgusting." Sachi turned the page once more and held it up. This zombie was rather agile looking and had very long claws on its fingers and toes.

"The pouncer, from what we've seen of this thing…it only comes out when there is the least amount of sun. So at night or maybe even during the cloudy days, I'm not quite sure on that part, but these things don't make any noises at all, well not vocally anyways, but you can hear their claws when they jump from wall to wall-"  
"Those things jump from wall the wall? Does that mean they…are like spiders?" Ui asked as she looked at the zombie fearfully.

"Yes actually, good way to describe it. I've seen one of these just once, watched it tackle a man…the way it attacks is quite deadly…it aims its body at you then flings itself at you and literally stabs you with all ten of it's fingers, if your not dead after the impact, it'll just tear into you like a meat tenderizer." The girls shook visibly at the idea of being attacked by one of those things before Sachi held up another picture. This zombie looked different compared to the rest, for one, it had no teeth and it's jaw looked detached from the rest of it's body. "This is the screamer. It does as it's name suggests, it screams, the actual sound of this infected's scream does two things. Calls a rush of other infected and if you are way too close to this infected, the scream can kill you."

"How?" Jun asked as she frowned at the drawing. "How is it possible for its scream to kill you?"  
"Depending on how close you are to it…it can either kill you or knock you unconscious, either way, you're dead…I'm sure the reason it can kill you with it's scream is because of how high in frequency it is. Either way, the way you can tell you're close to one is if you hear it crying."

"It cries?" Tsumugi asked as she tilted her head in confusion.  
"Yes, horrible little thing…anyways, that's all I have…"  
"What about the panzer thingy?" Yui asked.

Sachi sighed softly and began flipping through her note pad once more before stopping on a page and she held it up.

"Again, I've never seen this thing…only heard reports about it, from the vague descriptions the men gave I was able to come up with a rough drawing of it." Sachi said as she pointed to the large muscular looking zombie. It's head looked much smaller then the rest of it's body and it's arms were ten times larger then normal and it looked like something no one wanted to meet in a dark alleyway.

"They say it can hurl cars, crush bones in a single blow, and they say it focuses on one target until that target's heart stops beating. Again, I haven't seen it myself, but I hope I never do…the men were all in therapy for post-traumatic disorder after watching the chaos this infected brought."

"Well…that's encouraging…so we're screwed?" Jun asked as she flopped backwards onto the floor.

"N-No, we'll be fine, we just have to get out of here fast right?" Ui asked as she shuddered at the thought of being killed by one of the infected they just saw.

"That's right, I've formulated a plan for you girls so you can get out of here and go to an isolated island…we just need to grab a few things then get you to the docks." Sachi replied as she got up and walked over to the metal bars and began to unlock them. "It should be safe to travel now…" She whispered as she opened up the bars and walked to the door and began to scan the outside through the window. As Nodoka approached from behind she instantly noticed that the sky was much darker then she remembered.

"Why is it so dark out there?" Jun asked as she tried to peek over everyone's shoulders. Ui gave a sudden gasp.

"It's going to storm here soon, I…when my sister and I were watching the news the day before all this happened, they were talking about a storm system moving in."  
"Perfect, now not only do we have to worry about zombies, we have a storm coming through…just brilliant." Ritsu groaned out as she went to pick up her shotgun, but was stopped by Mio who was raising an eyebrow at her.

"Are you really going to be able to use that with one arm?"

"I…can try." Ritsu whined out as she picked up the gun and slung it over her shoulder before shrugging a little. "If worse comes to worse Mio, I'll just keep it on my back till I can use my arm."

Mio sighed softly but nodded a little as they began to file outside and look around. There were a few zombies just wondering around, but they didn't look like they were about to charge them any time soon.

Nodoka pulled out her cell once more and looked at the time, it had been a few hours since lunch and she realized they didn't have much more time to travel till the sun went down.

"Sachi-san, I think we should stay in the clinic till tomorrow. If we leave now it'll probably be too dark to see anything."  
"No, we keep pressing on, we don't have much time till the military has this whole city under control." Sachi said firmly as she started walking ahead of the group. Nodoka felt anger flare up in her as she frowned towards the medic before turning to look at her friends.

"Don't worry, Nodoka-chan, if things get worse she'll see it our way, until then, lets just follow her." Tsumugi said softly as she put a reassuring hand on the glasses wearing girl before going to follow the woman.

Nodoka didn't like this one bit, things were bound to get worse at night and one person was already injured, they didn't need anyone else getting hurt.

"Have you traveled by night before Sachi-san?" Yui asked as she caught up to the woman's fast pace.

"Yes, it's not that different from traveling during the day." Sachi replied before she heard Nodoka make a 'tch' of disagreement. "You got something to say Manabe-san?"

"Just that it is a lot different then traveling during the day…for one you can't see anything, and with a storm rolling in it'll be even worse. Second, you said so yourself that different mutated zombies come out at night and that could complicate things-"  
"Manabe-san, I understand your concern, but we don't have time to argue the specifics just trust me…last thing you want is to be captured by the military…at least when you get killed by a zombie It's fast…usually." Sachi whispered as she continued to lead the girls along the darkening roads.

Author Notes: Not much action in this one, it was mainly just to explain the types of zombies I made up for the story. A year ago I wanted to write my own zombie story and I had created a list of random infected that I thought were cool. Vomiter was one of them, along with the screamer. Then I wanted to add a few L4D zombies like the hunter and smoker, but I didn't want them to look exactly like the game's design so I thought up stupid names for them (even Ritsu thinks they have stupid names) and gave them different designs. Now, contrary to popular belief, the Panzer Zombie and the Tank from L4D are pretty similar, however the way I picture a Panzer is a little different then a tank, you'll see what I mean in later chapters, after all I can't spoil this creation since…that's the suspense. ^_^

Anyways and not to mention I had to get out the explanation of what a carrier is and how they were going to survive since no one will help them. So, sorry this chapter isn't action based, keep a look out for the next chapter, maaaaybe there'll be some action scenes. _Evil grin_


	6. Let's Hear You Scream

Let's Hear You Scream

It wasn't long before the storm system Ui was talking about rolled in, bringing a light drizzle as well as the roar of thunder in the distance. Nodoka didn't like this at all, she didn't know how the zombies were going to react to a storm of this caliber, and if it got any worse they would have no way of seeing in the pitch black of night. None of them had flashlights, none except Sachi who insisted that her weather flashlight was good enough for all of them.

That still didn't put Nodoka's mind at ease, Ritsu was still hurt, and as the rain began to get heavier it became obvious that all of them were miserable.

Jun stuck close to Ui, trying to shield her from the cold rain drops while Yui let out a loud sneeze before Azusa snuggled closer to her as they walked.

"Can we please stop for the night? We're all going to catch colds if we don't get out of this rain." Mio said firmly, annoyance finally taking over as the medic pressed on.

"Hey! Sachi-san! We need to stop; we can't go on like this! We may be…what was it you called us," Ritsu whispered softly to herself as she felt Mio drape her jacket around her shiver body before continuing "You called us carriers right? Well even if we are that, we're still human! We need rest! And it's very cold!"

"What did I tell you-" Sachi growled as she turned to face the group of whining girls. "We can't stop, we have to keep moving, if we stop that's less time to act before the military comes in."  
"We know, but we're thinking realistically," Nodoka replied. "Look there's a warehouse over there, let's just go inside, warm up a little, then continue." The glasses wearing girl suggested as she tried to keep herself and Tsumugi warm. The field medic scanned the group slowly and let out a irritated sigh before nodding.

"Fine, let's go."  
Sachi and Nodoka ran up to the doors and began to tug firmly on them, they seemed a bit rusted, but after a few tough tugs they finally began to slide open, but not without giving a horribly loud screeching noise.

Nodoka cringed, that sound was really loud, she hoped desperately that it didn't attract the-

Over the downpour she could hear the faint noise of screams and roars coming from down the street.

That could only mean one thing. It did signal most of the zombies within the area.

"Get in now!" Sachi yelled as she and Nodoka moved in first and got ready to push the doors shut. The rest of the group moved in as fast as possible and as Nodoka and the medic began to push to close the door the zombies began trying to get in, their rotting hands flailing about to grab hold of one of the younger women or the field medic. And before they could close the doors firmly a hand smacked the field medic away and caused the doors to stop being pushed together, creating a small space for the zombies to reach through.

Nodoka blanched when she felt a hand grab her roughing by the neck and yank her towards the small opening as one of the zombies tried to push it's face between the two doors to try and bite her.  
"Help!" Nodoka choked out as she tried to pull back, but a few more hands shot out and grabbed hold of her clothing tightly.

"Nodoka-chan!" More hands grabbed hold of Nodoka from behind, trying to take her back before Tsumugi appeared beside the struggling girl with her kodachi and began slicing off the hands that had a hold of her. Nodoka felt the grip give way as blood stained the front of her school uniform and she tumbled backwards, landing on Yui and Azusa, who had saved her from being tugged through the small opening before Sachi was back up and she and Tsumugi pushed the doors closed before any more zombies could try to force their way in.

Nodoka rolled onto her side and took large gulps of air while rubbing her neck tenderly, the zombie had a death grip on her and she was thankful that Tsumugi reacted as fast as she did.

"T-Thank you Tsumugi-san…"  
"Nodoka-chan, you can call me Mugi-chan. I think that'd be easier don't you agree?" Tsumugi whispered as she helped the glasses wearing girl up before smiling weakly at her.

"I was so scared Nodoka-chan! I thought they had you!" Yui wailed as she threw her arms around her childhood friend and began to nuzzle her firmly.

"I-I'm f-fine Yui, just…a little hurt…gah…that thing had a good hold on my neck."  
Nodoka smiled kindly as she patted Yui on the head before a gasp made them all turn around towards Jun and Ui who were focused on the ceiling.  
"What is it…whoa." Ritsu gapped as she looked up at the ceiling of the warehouse.

There were bodies hanging from the ceiling incased in what looked like rotten honey that occasionally dripped to the ground all around the group. They noticed the bodies in the gooey sacks looked already half eaten and were obviously very dead.  
"W-What the hell is that…" Mio asked as she grabbed her gun from her back and shakily held it tightly while looking towards Sachi.

"I…don't know. I've never seen this before…it's…like a hive or…"  
"Slaughter house..." Azusa mumbled grimly as she grabbed her gun as well. "I don't like this, we have to get out of here."  
"I'm with Azusa, this place is obviously occupied and I don't want to stick around to find out what it is." Jun stated as she turned to run towards the back of the warehouse to look for a back exit.

"Wait, Jun-chan, don't run off by yourself!" Ui yelled as she watched her friend disappear behind the large shelves of tools and wood.

Jun started searching the walls for a way out and while she did this she couldn't help but notice how loud the rain was on the roof of the warehouse, it drowned out the noises of almost everything, in fact she couldn't really hear her friends and senpai over it. Soon, however, she stumbled upon a door and smiled brightly as she wondered over to it.  
"Guys! I found an exit!" Jun yelled out as she quickly ran passed an aisle that was pitch black, but once she went by it, her heart stopped at the sound she heard, her body froze and she swallowed hard.

Faint crying.

Then an annoyed growl.

_Oh no…_

Jun could feel cold sweat appear on the back of her neck as she slowly turned to face the aisle while pointing her gun towards the blackness. Red eyes, unlike any of the other zombies she had seen, stared back at her from ten feet away.

"Jun-chan! I told you not to ru-"  
"S-Stop, Ui, d-don't come any closer." Jun warned as she refused to take her eyes off the red glowing eyes, the thing continued to growl but didn't move towards her.

"J-Jun-chan?" Ui whimpered out worriedly when she noticed Jun not moving at all.

"J-Just…do me a f-favor…go b-back to Azusa a-and the others…t-tell them…we're not alone in here…p-please. Also…tell them I can't move…I don't know if t-this thing's going to…a-attack." Jun whispered, fear lacing her voice as she refused to move. She didn't know if quick movements set this thing off, and she didn't know which zombie it was, for she still couldn't see anything except those gleaming red eyes.

"O-Okay…I'll d-do that." Ui mumbled softly as she started backing up slowly. Before anything else could be done though, Ui didn't have time to react as something wet and slimy wrapped around her throat tightly and yanked her backwards. She let out a choking gasp before yelling out as she felt the thing drag her across the ground and away from Jun.

She also watched in horror as her friend instinctively turned to her and yelled out as well, but that seemed to upset whatever was glaring at her and it let out an ear-piercing scream.

For Jun, it felt like having daggers being pushed through both her ears as the scream caused her to become nauseous, light headed, and dizzy all at once. Then the feeling of something dripping down the sides of her head could be felt before her legs gave way and she collapsed onto the ground. She didn't have time to even think as her consciousness slipped away from her as everything went black.

The zombie that had screamed noticed its prey was down and it closed its large mouth and made its way over to feast on the flesh. But as it lowered its head to bite a bullet pierced its temple, a strangled gurgle escaped its lips before it collapsed on its side near the fallen Jun.

"Jun!" Azusa yelled before she heard Ui yell out again. The pigtailed girl turned to see Yui's sister being dragged like a fish on a hook towards the other side of the warehouse. Garnet orbs locked onto the tongue that had a hold of her friend before it followed the length to the zombie that had a hold of her. It was located on top of the railing.

Azusa then realized if she didn't help Ui now, the girl would be strangled to death once it hoisted her up into the air. She instantly took off running towards Ui as Mio and Ritsu rounded the corner to go check on Jun's condition.

"A-Azus-gaah!" Ui choked out as she felt her body get lifted into the air, she felt arms wrap around her waist to try and keep her on the ground, but it only caused the tongue to tighten around her thin neck. Soon Ui couldn't breath.

She couldn't breath!

She began to struggle violently as the loud pounding in her head drowned all sounds out and her vision began to go black.

"UI!"

Azusa's eyes went wide as she noticed Yui had climbed a ladder to get on the same level as the zombie before she ran at it like an axe murder, Gitah in hand, as she slammed into it with all the force she could muster. The result was the tongue snapping off, dropping both Ui and Azusa to the ground where the younger Hirasawa began choke and cough for air while Azusa helped her, but because of the strong force behind the attack, Yui could feel the neck of Gitah break in her hands as it almost literally shattered on impact. As the bits and pieces of the guitar landed on the railing Yui almost wanted to cry when she looked at her broken and precious guitar. However, she didn't get to mourn the loss as the zombie got back up on its feet. It wasn't dead, in fact she was pretty sure she had just managed to piss it off even more.

The tonguer snarled loudly after noticing its meal had been taken away from it and soon focused its milky undead eyes upon Yui. It lunged at the slightly stunned girl and its jaws opened up to bite down on her, however Yui was prepared and her hands were free so she quickly reached up and grabbed a hold of it's top and lower jaw to keep it from biting.

The skin of a zombie felt very weird to Yui's silky hands, and it almost made her wish she hadn't reached up to stop it in the first place. It felt slimy and slick, like a frog's skin, but also felt too weak to actually hold the zombie together, yet the skin didn't break no mater how much the tonguer moved.  
The zombie began to thrash violently against Yui's grip, making loud snarls and groans before it began to heave. It's already large throat swelling up as an unknown liquid started to sound in the back of its throat.

Yui's eyes went wide and she instantly tilted her head to the side as the zombie spat up the honey colored goo into her face. The smell alone was so powerful that it caused Yui to cough on each breath she took as well as almost made her vomit on the spot. But then she felt her arms give out on her as she realized what the goo was doing. It was slowly paralyzing her through each breath she took. She couldn't yell for help and she couldn't move, what was even worse was those bloody teeth were getting closer and closer to her vulnerable neck.

One bite there, and it'd be over for her.

Chocolate eyes shut tightly as she felt the rotten hot air brush against her neck before she heard a loud bang and more fluids dripping onto her already soaked face.

Yui felt the zombie's body become limp and she felt it get pushed off her before Azusa appeared in her sight. The pigtailed girl looked frightened and she began shaking her senpai over and over again.  
"Come on, come on snap out of it!...Ugh that stuff smells horrible."  
"..A-A-Azunyan…." Yui whimpered out as she felt Azusa brush the honey colored goo off her face allowing her to breath more normally now that the sticky stuff wasn't covering her nose and mouth anymore.

"Can you stand?" Azusa asked as she helped Yui sit up before they heard more gunshots.  
"W-Where's…U-Ui…"  
"She's fine, we have to get out of here though, this place is a death trap!" Azusa helped her girlfriend to her feet before the two of them began to make their way to the ladder.

Down on the ground Mio, Ritsu, and Sachi studied Jun for any signs of life.

Thankfully the younger bassist was breathing, even if it was a bit labored, and Sachi frowned deeply when she noticed the already dry blood that had come from within the young girl's ears from an unknown source.  
"This isn't good, I can't tell what sort of damage has been done to her without the proper equipment." Sachi whispered as she picked the girl up in her arms.  
"But…at least she's a live right?" Mio asked as she stood up along with Ritsu. The drummer was about to yell for Mio to watch out when the bassist quickly turned and sliced a zombie's head clean off, the raven haired girl blinked several times over at what she just did, instinctively too, before turning back to Ritsu, who looked equally stunned.

"Wow, Mio…that was…"  
"Scary?" Mio replied almost instantly.  
"…I was going to say hot, but yeah that works too I guess." Ritsu said with a smirk.

"Now isn't the time to flirt baka…"

They quickly shut up as Azusa ran up to the others with Yui stumbling behind her. Ritsu took one look at the fluid on Yui's face and uniform and then looked back up at the bodies and panic began to make its way on her face.

"Yui what the hell is that stuff?" Ritsu asked as Sachi handed Mio a cleaning cloth, which the bassist took, and she ran over to Yui and began to wipe the stuff off.  
"That zombie spat it up! The…tonguer? Yeah, that thing, it had Ui and…Oh no…Gitah! He…he's…"  
Azusa looked at her senpai sadly when she noticed the look of utter despair in the brunette's eyes when she realized that Gitah was indeed gone.

Ritsu and Mio both gave each other a sad gaze before they both hugged Yui, despite the fact that she had weird zombie spit on her before Ritsu patted her on the back.

"Don't worry, we'll give Gitah a proper burial later, right now we have to get out of here, the zombies broke through the doors so, Mugi and Nodoka have been holding them off while we look at Jun-chan and Ui-chan…"  
"Is Ui okay, Ricchan! Please tell me she is!" Yui yelled fearfully as she looked behind her friends at her sister. Yui noticed the bright red marks on her sister's neck, but other then that she seemed to be okay other then fearing the condition of Jun. "W-What happened to Jun-chan?" Yui asked.

"Screamer…she's lucky it didn't kill her instantly. Anyways, those who can still hold guns, go fight! I'll keep a close eye on these two, and you get over here…uhm…Yui-chan? Yes you come over here. I need to look at that stuff on you." Sachi said firmly ushering Yui to sit next to her before she began to clean some of the goo off while Ritsu, Mio and Azusa ran over to where Nodoka and Tsumugi were holding.

"Ritsu, go back! You can't fight!" Mio yelled when she noticed the drummer tailing her.  
"I can too! My arm's fine!" Ritsu yelled as she pulled out the shotgun and aimed as she watched a zombie get close.

"Ritsu I mean it! Don't-"  
But it was too late, Ritsu pulled the trigger of the shotgun and the backlash sent the already weakened girl backwards flat on her back, but it knocked a hole clean through one of the infected's chests.

"Shimatta!" Nodoka yelled as she began to make up for the lack of body as Mio quickly helped Ritsu to her feet.  
"What did I just tell you, you idiot!"  
"WHOA! That thing has a kick to it!...ouchy that kinda hurt." Ritsu said as she rolled the shoulder of her uninjured arm, popping it slightly.

"I'm out of bullets!" Tsumugi yelled as she used the blunt end of her gun to smack away a zombie that got too close. Mio instantly got out her gun and began to shoot to take over to Tsumugi as the blonde got pushed behind the two girls while Ritsu looked on worriedly.  
"I'm out too!" Nodoka exclaimed as she took out her axe and brought it down on a zombie before yanking it out of its body to swing it at another zombie that had appeared in its place.

Ritsu pulled out a hand gun and began shooting zombies that got too close to Nodoka while Tsumugi instantly pulled the glasses wearing girl back.

"Let's get out of here, maybe we can distract them with something…" Tsumugi said as she watched more zombies run through the broken down door. Ritsu's eyes snapped up at the ceiling where all the dead bodies hung and grinned a little.

"Mio, I need you to do something for me." Ritsu said firmly as she reached down and took the shotgun and forced it into Mio's hands. "I need you to aim up at the ceiling, and shoot…I don't know if that gooey stuff is flammable or what, but if you aim right we could knock one of those sacks down and the zombies will be occupied with it!"

Mio looked up then back at the drummer fearfully before nodding slowly.

"Okay, but, I don't think I'll be able to handle the knock back on this…"  
"Don't worry, I'll stand behind you and keep you steady, just don't elbow me in the face okay?" Ritsu replied as she moved behind Mio and steadied her feet on the ground and pushed firmly against Mio's back while her uninjured arm wrapped around her friend's waist. "Ready?"

"R-Ready." Mio mumbled as she aimed the shotgun barrel up towards the ceiling.

"Fire!"

Mio closed her eyes and pulled the trigger, a shower of bullets hit the ceiling with such force that it almost knocked both Mio and Ritsu off their feet. But it did the job; the goo caught fire and soon body sack after body sack began to drop from the ceiling, sometimes landing on a zombie.

"Oh, it is flammable…" Ritsu mused while Mio pulled on her arm as she, Tsumugi, and Nodoka ran towards the back of the warehouse where the others were, the fire spreading at an alarming rate.

"Sachi-san! Run!" Nodoka yelled as soon as the others came into sight. Sachi was holding Jun in her arms before her blue eyes caught sight of the fire on the ceiling before she and the Hirasawa sisters turned to run towards the door Jun found.

Yui shoulder checked the door open and she instantly stumbled on her feet into the pouring rain before falling flat on her face while the others quickly followed after. The rain was a welcoming feeling as they watched the warehouse burn, taking the zombies with it.

Panting and out of breath, all the girls took seats on the wet cold ground while trying to catch their breath after the horrible experience.

"…Okay, so…now what?" Ritsu asked after she was able to finally breath normally after inhaling some smoke from the fire.

"Well…now we do have to rest since you're friend here is…"  
"S-She's not d-dead is she?" Mio asked, panic filling her eyes as she turned to look at the limp body in Sachi's arms.

"No no, she isn't…but she was close enough to the screamer to have both her ear drums ruptured, which caused the bleeding, and she most likely won't be able to move normally for a while…" Sachi said as she growled softly. She handed Jun to Yui before she marched up to Nodoka and grabbed the girl by the collar and slammed her up against a wall.

"Whoa! What are you doing!" Ritsu yelled as she quickly got up with Tsumugi and Mio following her, just as shocked at the field medic's actions as the rest of them.  
Nodoka's eyes were wide as they stared into the narrowed icy blue eyes as they stared daggers at her.

"You just had to take that break didn't you! Because of your suggestion, two more people got hurt and another had paralyzing goo on them!" Sachi yelled angrily as she held Nodoka off the ground.  
The glasses wearing girl turned her head and avoided the gaze as guilt worked its way into her system. It was true, she had suggested the small break, but it wasn't like she knew zombies could 'nest' and waited in the dark before pouncing.

"Well, answer me girl! What would you have done if your friends had been killed!"

"I'm sorry." Nodoka said softly, her dark brown eyes shimmering with tears as she tried hard to block out the rage the medic was showing.

"That's all you have to say…you were chosen to be the leader of this group, but you sure as hell don't think these things through! Why did they choose you?"

"Because," Mio said firmly as she reached out to grab Sachi's hands and tugged them off Nodoka's collar firmly, "She's the only one who was much calmer then us…none of us know what we are doing! All we know is we are friends and we're going to stick together and try to survive…that's all." Mio said as she turned to look at Nodoka sympathetically while Tsumugi walked over and put a reassuring hand on the girl's back.  
"You can't expect her to be like you Sachi-san…we're all learning…we don't know these things like you do and…well to be honest even you didn't know about the goo from the tonguer until now." Tsumugi replied as Ritsu nodded firmly.

"Yeah, so lay off, everyone makes mistakes…sure some of us got hurt, but at least we're not dead yet." Ritsu growled out as Sachi shrunk back away from the group. It was obvious their words had hit a chord, but instead of abandoning them like a normal person would, she just stood there, shell-shocked, before she motioned with her head towards a small house.

"Let's…take up residence there…for the night…you're right…we all need rest." Sachi mumbled as she began to walked towards the home.

Ritsu and Mio looked at each other worriedly before Nodoka shrugged off Tsumugi's hand.

"Thanks guys for saying that…but she was right." Nodoka said as she turned to Yui, Azusa and Ui. "Come on, let's get going, Jun needs rest and so do the rest of us…"

They followed willingly to the house, all in silence as the rain continued to pour onto their already soaked forms before they walked through the door of the home. They noticed Sachi was examining the rooms for any signs of infected before she returned with some towels.

"They have working washing machines…I figured you girls might…want to dry your clothing and take a bath…now is probably the only time you'll get to do it…" Sachi whispered before she shut the door to the outside world and began to barricade all the windows and other doors.

Nodoka helped, feeling bad about not just being yelled at, but having her friends yell at the medic. She did have more experience in these types of things, and even though Nodoka was grateful for their loyalty, she did think it was too harsh.

Yui laid Jun down on the couch in the living room before her legs gave out and she fell once again to the floor. The smell of the goo that was still on her kept causing partial paralysis in her every so often, and it annoyed her greatly, but as soon as the paralysis wore off she felt Azusa help her to her feet before turning to the others.  
"I'm going to help Yui-senpai take a bath, this stuff that's on her keeps…well…making her clumsier then normal."  
"You go ahead and do that Azusa, we'll take your clothing and dry them for you while you two shower." Mio replied as she gave her two friends smiles before handing them both towels. "Just lay your clothing outside the door and I'll take them."  
"Thank you Mio-senpai." Azusa said before leading Yui back towards the bathroom.

Mio watched the younger girl walk to the back of the house before she felt a hand on her back, she turned to see Ritsu smiling a little at her before she hugged her friend as tightly as she could with one arm.  
"Mio…" Ritsu whispered tenderly as she felt the bassist wrap both her arms around her. "I was worried about you…I didn't think you'd be able to handle…all that."  
"Well…I told you I didn't want to be useless anymore…oh right you weren't conscious for that…" Mio replied as she nuzzled her face into Ritsu's soaked golden brown hair. "While you were out of it, I promised you I wouldn't be a-as scared anymore…I mean I'm still scared, hell seeing these things…I probably won't be able to sleep peacefully for weeks…but I'm not going to be scared stiff…I'm going to help any way I can."  
Ritsu smiled bashfully as she nuzzled her face against her new girlfriend, blushing deeply as she listened to the heartfelt confession before she looked over her shoulder at the others, noticing they were too busy with other things to pay attention to the two of them, so she turned back to Mio and leaned up to give her a brief kiss.  
"Thank you…it's nice to see you like this…though I'm going to miss teasing you." Ritsu said as she stroked Mio's rain soaked cheek with her uninjured hand.  
Mio smiled and laughed softly before hugging Ritsu tighter.

"You never know…we'll probably get to tease each other like we use to soon…when we're not in danger anymore."  
"Yeah…how about we get out of these wet clothing, we can dry Yui and Azusa's cloths with ours and the others can figure out what they are doing later." Ritsu said as she began to unbutton her torn and drenched uniform.

"I a-agree." Mio mumbled as her face went red as she watched Ritsu open the shirt before the drummer was struck with a problem.

"Uhm…Mio, can you help me? My arm's still a little hurt…I can't move it much without it being painful so…"  
"Oh right….yeah I'll help."

* * *

Author Notes: Whew, took longer then expected, even with my notes, to finish this chapter. I wanted the action scenes to flow fluidly and sometimes it didn't feel like it so I'd have to rewrite it a few times or reword certain parts…gah it was frustrating. ;A;

But it's done, now to work on the next chapter. Please be gentle with my action scenes, like I said before, this story is the first story to have them so I'm still working on making them better. Any helpful advice or tips are very much appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed all the zombie shootans! *goes back to try and finish her valentines day story before valentines day*


	7. Resting For Now

Resting For Now

It didn't take long for Azusa to find the bathroom and when she looked inside she was happy to find it was the traditional set up, just like at her house.

Her heart sank a little at the thought of never being able to use her own back at home, or with her parents. Azusa was brought out of her thoughts as Yui gave a groan of pain before her legs gave out from under her making Azusa stumble at the sudden weight in her arms.

"A-Ah, Yui-senpai!"

"This stuff smells…" Yui moaned out as she went limp in her kouhai's grasp making the younger girl sigh irritably.

"Mou…come on, snap out of it…I'll get the water running…let's hope this zombie outbreak didn't mess with the water supply." Azusa said softly as she sat Yui against the bathroom wall before walking over to the bathtub. Once she found out the water was still working and looked clean she began to fill the tub up with hot water before she walked over to Yui and frowned. "You're going to have to take your clothing off yourself, senpai. I can't do that for you."  
"Azunyan~ I can't moooove." Yui whined out as she gave her kouhai a pout. "Please help me?"  
Azusa began to blush deeply.  
"Yui-senpai…you do remember our kiss right?"  
"Of course…what does that have to do with you helping me undress?"

"W-Well!...because we're going out…I…just think seeing your naked body after we…kissed like that is…a bit fast don't you think?" Azusa asked nervously as she knelt down in front of Yui and gave her sympathetic eyes. "I like you a lot, but-"  
"Azunyan…you do realize that…the longer we stay alive here in this city…there is always the possibility that something could go horribly wrong tomorrow?" Yui suddenly said very seriously. It shocked Azusa to hear her talk like that so much that all she could do was stare at her senpai. "We don't have much time to…experience things…I-I'm not saying we should move that fast but…" Yui finally regained control over her limps and she reached out to pull Azusa into a firm hug, making the young girl blink rapidly.  
"W-What?"

"Azuny-no…Azusa…I want us to experience something tonight…together…because I don't know how much longer…either of us is going to be alive…"  
"Y-Yui-senpai…" Azusa whispered as she noticed the lack of nickname before she began to blush even more as she felt Yui begin to unbutton her rain soaked uniform.

"Do…you mind?" Yui asked as she gazed innocently up into Azusa's eyes. There was no bad intent behind the gaze, there was only love, fear, and the need for comfort in them.

It would have been rude for Azusa to refuse such an offer.

The young guitarist nodded slowly, her mind made up. If she was going to experience what grown-ups experience, she wouldn't want to do it with anyone else. Yui was her first kiss, now she was going to be her first…everything.

Yui smiled tenderly as Azusa approved of her advances and she began to undo the buttons on her kouhai's uniform faster, slipping the dark blue blazer off her shoulders before working the buttons off the white shirt underneath.

Azusa knew she had to clean Yui's face off before she could even think about kissing those lips again, after all, the stench from the zombie's spit was very overpowering and she was sure Yui wanted it off as well. So Azusa quickly reached out to stop Yui and she grabbed the bucket of water and soap and began to lather up her hands before reaching out to scrub the suddenly baffled senpai. Yui allowed Azusa to wash off her face, closing her eyes tightly to make sure none of the soap got in her eyes before she felt a splash of water then tiny hands working her clothing off.

Yui opened her eyes up and looked down at Azusa as she worked fast to get the disgusting clothing off before tossing it aside with her own.

"You can…uhm…clean up a bit, then we'll…"  
"Oh, okay! Yeah I guess it wouldn't be romantic to kiss someone who…has zombie spit all over them…eheh." Yui laughed nervously as she sat down on the stool and began to clean her body as Azusa quickly sat the soaked clothing outside the bathroom right as Mio walked by. Azusa smiled at her senpai as Mio nodded back at her before she closed the door and locked it. She was about to turn around when she felt arms wrap around her waist and pulled her down on the stool between warm legs.

"You feel so perfect against me Azusa…I like holding you like this." Yui purred out as she kissed the side of Azusa's neck tenderly causing her kouhai to gasp softly before she felt soapy hands begin to work the stress out of her back, sides, and everywhere in between.

Yui was happy she was finally able to experience something like this.

Intimacy.

A blush quickly formed on her own cheeks as she slide her hands up to cup Azusa's small breasts, giving them a gentle squeeze before breathed into the girl's ear.

"Don't be afraid Azusa," Yui cooed as she felt the girl shiver against her advances, "Everything will be fine…I'll be gentle…after all this isn't just your first time…it's mine. And…I'm happy it'll be you."

Azusa leaned back against her senpai and slowly brought a hand up to stroke the side of her cheek softly before they both met in a passionate kiss.

_Yui's right…even though I'm scared of how this will change us…it's not like we have much time anyways…I'll just, let go._

And Azusa felt her restraints snap with that final thought as she turned around fully in Yui's lap and wrapped her legs around the older girl's waist while her arms wrapped around her neck before continuing the firm kisses, Yui's arm slowly slide around the girl's midsection, holding her tightly. Each kiss was deeper then the last, mouths opened to curiously stroke with the sensual muscle inside causing both Yui and Azusa to moan softly as the kouhai pressed even closer. Another rush of blood made its way to her cheeks as she felt the warmth between her legs press against Yui's and it caused her senpai to release the kiss and stare into her eyes curiously.

"A-Are you ready?" Yui asked, obviously just as nervous as Azusa about this when they felt their cores meet, causing a gasp from both girls.

"…H-Hai…I'm ready…" Azusa whispered out as she wrapped her arms and legs even tighter around her senpai's body. She could feel Yui's hands grip her tighter before her hips pressed against her own, those wet cores meeting in a firm grind causing Azusa to bury her face into Yui's neck to stifle a moan of pleasure.

Yui blushed heavily as she continued to grind her hips in a slow steady rhythm while she clutched her kouhai's back firmly, it felt amazing to be able to share something like this with her cute Azusa, all thought process seemed to stop when she felt Azusa grind back, causing a surge of wonderful pressure to build in her lower abdomen.

"A-Azusa…" Yui moaned out as she pulled away slightly only to press her lips against Azusa's before she could even speak, both of them inhaling sharply against the kiss as their tongues once again began to rub against each other while their hips moved ever so lewdly against the wet and slick flesh.

Azusa tilted her head to allow Yui more access to her mouth as she let one of her hands slowly trail down Yui's stomach towards where their bodies met and began to rub the bud of nerves at the top of her entrance as they continued to grind. This action caused Yui to squeak, obviously startled by the new pleasure before she sunk against the girl she loved and offered herself up to whatever her new lover wanted to do. In fact, Yui felt bad for not doing much other then grinding her hips, so she allowed one of her own hands to mimic the trail Azusa made down her kouhai's stomach before also rubbing those nerves firmly with two fingers. This seemed to please Azusa, for the girl jumped slightly, causing them both to moan before she went back to the rhythm they had before, only speeding up ever so often as they held the kiss.

Soon it became too much for Azusa and she had to pull away from the lip lock and press her forehead against Yui's while panting heavily as sweat and water dripped down her body as the steam from the bath helped intensify the feeling.

"Y-Yui…s-something's…a-ah…building up…" Azusa whimpered out as she clutched her senpai's back tightly with her free hand while the other began to speed up with Yui as their hips continued the furious grind.

"M-Me too…I'm n-nah…" Yui mumbled out as she pulled Azusa even closer and they sped up even more, panting heavily against each other while hands gripped whatever they could find to hold on to as wave upon wave of pleasure crashed against their bodies. Yui tilted her head back as Azusa moaned rather loudly against the pulse in her neck as they experienced their first orgasm together, bodies rocking continuing the pleasure as long as possible before they finally slowed down to relax blissfully in each other's arms.  
Azusa's head was reeling after the wonderful pleasure subsided and when her eyes came into focus she found herself buried quite pleasantly in Yui's arms before her eyes slowly closed to just take in the feeling of warmth and comfort.

"…Azusa…" Yui mumbled incoherently as she gave the younger girl a squeeze. "Was that…good?"

Azusa felt her lips upturn into a smile as she placed a lazy kiss against her senpai's neck.

"Hai…i-it felt wonderful." Azusa replied as she pulled back to kiss Yui's lips briefly before she slowly stood up, her hips aching slightly from the position they used, but other then that she felt very refreshed, a little tired, but pleasantly lightheaded.

Yui watched Azusa get up silently, a proud look on her face as she stood up as well and grabbed the soap once more.

"You got dirty again Azusa, let me help you with that…"  
This was going to be a long bath.

* * *

"Okay…well I think the way we have to do this is we'll have to unwrap your arm…I mean we were going to do that anyways since the bandages are soaked." Mio said to herself as she tried to stay focused on the bandaged arm and not her girlfriend's opened shirt. She had just come back from grabbing Yui and Azusa's clothing and had placed them in the washer before trying to figure out a less painful way of getting Ritsu's clothing off.

"Well, let's just do that since…I'm kind of curious to see how it looks." Ritsu said as she pulled her arm up and looked at the wraps before wincing a little at the movement.

"Okay okay, just…tell me if it hurts too much." Mio replied as she reached out and began to slowly unwrap the arm. As the injured skin began to come into view Mio couldn't help but whimper softly at the sight. The bandaged unraveled itself after a few turns and slowly slipped off Ritsu's arm onto the ground causing both girls the stare wide eyed at the still purplish skin.

"Ouch…that doesn't look good at all does it?" Ritsu mumbled as she looked at how the skin had turned red around the purple edges and she noticed the small blister patches all along and up and down her arm before she finally shook herself out of the shock. "Okay let's get these cloths off and re-bandage this thing…" Ritsu said as she began to tug the clothing off as fast as possible, yelping out as the wet clothing touched the sensitive purple burns. "A-Ah!"

"Baka! Hold on a minute let me help you…" Mio said firmly as she reached out to grab hold of the clothing once she snapped out of her stunned gaze and gently slide the clothing off without causing too much pain. Once Ritsu was naked Mio turned her face away, trying to hide the blush that made it's way onto her face at the sight of her friend's rather toned form. Ritsu caught this motion and couldn't help but grin like a cat as she slid up behind Mio, her uninjured arm wrapping around her childhood friend's waist before she rested her chin on her shoulder.

"What are you doing Mio-chuan~"

"D-Don't use that voice on m-me." Mio mumbled as she heard Ritsu's voice go up an octave, giving her more feminine sounding voice that never sounded right on her, plus Mio always associated that voice with the pranks she use to pull.

"Aw, is my Mio-chuan embarrassed? Don't worry, Ricchan is here for you~ I'll make it feel better-"  
"Baka!"

"Don't hit!"

_Twack!_

"Itai!" Ritsu reached up and began to rub the bump that had formed on her head while whining softly. Mio rubbed her knuckles firmly before blushing once more now that she had a full view of that body. Ritsu may not be as curvy and woman-like as she was, but that was one of the things that honestly she liked about Ritsu. Mio loved how masculine she could be, and how protective she was.

Ritsu opened her eyes and stared into those stormy grey ones before she noticed a courage in them as Mio marched forward with resolve.  
"Mio?" Ritsu mumbled out as she felt the girl push her up against the washing machine, cold steel pressed against Ritsu's bare back making her shriek out before she felt Mio's lips on her own.

Ritsu felt her face heat up as Mio wrapped her arms around the drummer's waist, pressing her full body against her while they kissed, but Ritsu didn't mind, in fact she happily contributed to the kiss and wrapped both arms around her friend's neck, wincing a little at the movement, but slowly forgetting the pain as the kiss got deeper.

Mio bashfully nipped at Ritsu's lower lip, asking for an entrance as her tongue came out to stroke those chapped lips cautiously, Ritsu granted the tongue access and couldn't help but moan out as Mio pressed her tongue in and began to explore.

Ritsu wouldn't admit this to anyone, but she was loving how forceful the usually shy girl was being. It caused her to be more aroused when she felt Mio slip her leg between Ritsu's and pressed it firmly against the already soaked spot. Ritsu gasped and broke the kiss before panting heavily while her eyes caught Mio's own.

"A-Are you s-sure you want to do this Mio…?" Ritsu asked as she felt the leg press a little more firmly against her.  
"…Ritsu…we might not get another chance like this…so…yes…I'm sure." Mio said softly as she wrapped her arms around Ritsu's waist and hoisted her up on top of the washing machine and dove back in for a kiss as her hands spread those creamy legs. Ritsu once again pulled her childhood friend close and committed herself fully to the love and affection Mio was showing while she felt those very talented hands stroke her bare thighs.

Mio pulled back slightly and gave Ritsu a bashful smile before she leaned down to take one of Ritsu's nipples between her lips and gave it soft suck while her tongue rolled it in her mouth. The golden haired girl arched against the touch and moaned softly while her hands groped blindly for Mio's buttons on her own uniform, after all she didn't want Mio to have all the fun.

Soon Mio felt her blazer fall off her shoulders along with the white button up shirt underneath before she pulled back to examine what just happened. She didn't get much time to look at her bare form when Ritsu began to attack her neck with firm bites and suckles as her uninjured hand came up to cup Mio's breast curiously.  
"Mmm…they have gotten bigger." Ritsu mused causing her friend to blush even more.  
"S-Shut up, baka." Mio warned as she dove back in to silence her teasing friend with a firm kiss while her hands worked on rolling both Ritsu's nipples between her fingers causing the drummer to moan loudly against her lips while her legs wrapped around the bassist's waist. Their tongues wrestled around firmly, both trying to gain dominance over the other while Mio let out a startled gasp as Ritsu began fiddle with one of her nipples before pulling away from the kiss, leaving a trail of saliva in her wake as she began to grin cheekily.  
"Mm…Mio…" Ritsu purred out as she pulled that skirt off her childhood friend's hips along with those panties and began to kiss her once more while her hand roved all over Mio's body.

Mio gave soft gasps of pleasure as she pushed against the drummer, her own hands gripping the skin tightly on her hips before she pushed Ritsu onto her back and leaned in to sink her teeth into the sensitive neck. This caused Ritsu to moan out while her hand tangled itself in those raven locks before pulling her up to meet her lips once more before pulling back a little to breathe out sensually.

"Mio…I think it's time to stop teasing…don't you agree?"

"I don't know…" Mio murmured as she pressed her lips back against Ritsu's before smirking slyly against them. "I could continue to tease…what would you do about that?" Mio asked as she circled one of Ritsu's breasts with a finger, causing the drummer to arch.  
"Miooo~" Ritsu whined out as she arched towards the touch.

"Okay okay…"

Mio pulled back and began to run her hand down Ritsu's bare chest, over her stomach, and between her legs, pressing her palm firmly against the searing heat radiating from between. Stormy grey stared into golden brown as Ritsu gave her an encouraging nod.

"It's okay…go ahead…however, I'm not going to let you have all the fun." Ritsu said as she sat up and leaned in to kiss Mio while her own hand went between her friend's legs.

Mio purred against the kiss as she threw caution to the wind and began to stroke up and down that heated, wet muscle between Ritsu's legs as the drummer did the same, they both mapped each other out, seeing what felt good and what caused the other to moan.

After a few moments of doing this, both of them started to breathe more heavily, as if signaled by the breathing, Mio pushed her finger deep into the wet heat and almost felt her legs give out from underneath her as Ritsu did the same. The feeling was intense and it got even better as Ritsu's finger began to move around. Mio didn't want to lose though, she began to stroke the inner walls with her dexterous fingers while reaching up with her unoccupied hand to brush her friend's hair out of her face as they continued to kiss, but Mio realized that once they began rocking against each other's hands that the kissing was getting increasingly sloppier as they tried hard to focus on the growing ache between their legs.

Ritsu finally pulled away from the heated kiss and just tilted her head back to allow deep throaty moans to escape as Mio continued to stroke her inner walls, searching for that one special spot, while Ritsu tried to keep up, but each stroke brought her closer and closer to the edge.

Mio seemed to sense this and she instantly closed her mouth around Ritsu's neck, giving it a firm bite and suck before her finger pressed against a spongy spot that made Ritsu yelp out.  
"Mio!"  
The bassist grinned proudly when she heard her name fall from Ritsu's lips before she began stroking the spot relentlessly while Ritsu pressed against her own, of course her cry of pleasure was stifled by Ritsu's neck, but it still caused her to press even closer to that body as they stroked faster.

Finally Mio found it very hard to breath as a hot, wonderful heat enveloped her body, causing her mind to go fuzzy and her legs to shake as Ritsu pushed her over the edge with her stroking.

She could feel Ritsu have a similar reaction, moaning loudly while her body shook against her own.

Once the fuzzy haze was lifted from Mio's mind she noticed that she was laying on top of Ritsu's body, catching her breath like she had run a mile while Ritsu was in a similar state, but there was a massive grin on her face as she stared up lovingly into Mio's eyes.

"…Mio…"  
"Ritsu…that was…"  
"Yeah…" Ritsu purred out as she leaned up to kiss Mio once more. "Thank you…for doing that…it means a lot to me…that it was you." The drummer whispered tenderly as she leaned in for another kiss, but the buzz of the washer machine caused them both to jump as it signaled for the finished load.

"A-Ah, guess we should put our clothing in now." Ritsu mumbled as she smirked.

"Y-Yeah…"

* * *

Once all the doors had been barricaded Nodoka did one more final look over the house before she wondered back into the living room area where Ui, Tsumugi and Jun still were. She felt bad when she witnessed Ui's concern for her friend after what had happened, and hoped desperately the girl would be all right.

Nodoka slowly walked over to them and sat down next to Ui and put a comforting arm around her as those chocolate eyes stared down at Jun's prone form.

"She'll be fine Ui…" Nodoka said as she gave her friend's sister a hug. Ui nodded slowly before she looked over Jun once more. Sachi had bandaged up her head to make sure nothing else pierced her ears so they could heal properly and now all they had to do was wait for her to wake up to see what other damage had been done.

"I shouldn't have run after her…it's my fault…the tonguer wouldn't have got me and she wouldn't have moved to save me…" Ui mumbled softly as she sniffled. Tsumugi sighed worriedly as she put a reassuring hand on the girl's back.

"It's okay…Sachi-san said so herself that she isn't going to die…but…" Tsumugi looked unsure for a moment as she tried to think of a tender way of saying that Jun may or may not be deaf. Her thoughts were interrupted as the young bassist gave a groan of pain before her violet eyes slowly opened.

"Jun-chan!" Ui yelled out happily as she girl slowly began to sit up, clearly still reeling from the experience. Ui wasn't worried anymore though, once her friend sat up she threw her arms around the girl and hugged her tightly while nuzzled her face into the girl's shoulder. "I'm so happy you're okay!"

It took Jun a second to realize she was being hugged before returning the embrace while her eyes seemed to go in and out of being focused before she pulled back and stared at Ui in confusion.

"What happened to me Ui?...What's on my head? And why does my voice sound muffled…" Jun asked as she reached up to touch the bandages that were wrapped around her ears and head.

Nodoka and Tsumugi's eyes went wide.

"D-Don't you remember…you got knock unconscious by the screamer zombie…you got hurt because of me." Ui said sadly as she looked to the side. "I was…worried you wouldn't wake up."  
"Huh?" Jun said as her eyes began to widen as she stared at Ui.

"But, now you're awake and things will be okay now."  
"…Ui?" Jun instantly swallowed hard as her face went pale.

Nodoka the panic begin to make its way through the young bassist's eyes as her body began to shake.

"Jun-chan? What's wrong?" Ui asked when she finally noticed the panic.  
"I…I can't hear you…" Jun yelled as she reached up to claw at the bandages before Tsumugi reached out to stop her.

"W-What?" Ui mumbled dumbly as she watched Jun's face contort with terror at not being able to hear.

"Sachi-san!" Nodoka yelled as she ran back to the room the medic went to, startling the woman out of her thoughts as she ran back into the living room with the glasses wearing girl.  
"What's going on?" Sachi asked worriedly before her eyes fell onto the panicked Jun. She instantly got down next to the girl and began to undo the wraps and took a look in her ear. "Can you hear me Jun-chan?" Sachi said in a normal voice right next to the girl's ear.

Jun tilted her head towards the noise and let out a whimper when she just hear a soft muffling noise.  
"I…I heard something, but…it was too muffled." Jun said as she tried to get out of Tsumugi's strong grasp. "Let me go, I'm not going anywhere."  
Tsumugi slowly allowed Jun's arms to go free before she turned back to Sachi.

"Is she completely deaf?"

"No, she can still hear something…it'll just take a while for her ears to heal, until then she's…partial deaf." Sachi stated as she rewrapped the girl's head before giving her a pat on the back. "You'll be fine…" The field medic got up and began to walk towards her room when Nodoka stood in her way.

"Look…about what happened…"  
"Don't apologize, Manabe-san. I did act a bit rash and for that I apologize…you were only looking out for your friends, which I admire…so don't worry. No hard feelings…now get some rest, clean up, do whatever…after tonight we will be going on non-stop till we get you all off this cursed island." Sachi said firmly as she walked passed Nodoka without another word before disappearing into her room. Nodoka sighed softly and rubbed the back of her neck to try and work out the stress before she felt silk fingers brush the hand away to replace it with their own.

Dark brown eyes widened and she almost jumped until the silky hands began to massage the stress out of her much easier then she could have ever done by herself.

"Does that feel good Nodoka-chan?"  
"T-Tsu…I mean Mugi-san? What are you-"  
"You looked like you needed a little massage…come on let's sit down and continue this…after all, you've had more to deal with then all of us. Being a leader must be difficult." Tsumugi said as she stopped massaging and pulled Nodoka into one of the free rooms before sitting the shorthaired girl down on the bedside before continuing the massage.

Although Nodoka was not entirely comfortable with the hands touching her, she couldn't deny that it felt amazingly wonderful and it seemed to work the tension right out of her even causing her to moan pleasantly as those fingers massaged firmly.  
"Hehe, I'm glad you're enjoying it." Tsumugi giggled as she continued up and down the stressed girl's back.

"T-Thank you Mugi-san…I…didn't realize how stressed I was."  
"It's not that hard to get stressed in this sort of situation…you got yelled at…and well…I'm sorry you did…you didn't deserve it." Tsumugi replied as she stopped massaging and cautiously wrapped her arms around Nodoka's middle. "But just know I'm grateful you took the spot as leader, you've done a good job so far for…not knowing so much about all this."

Nodoka tensed against the embrace, but after hearing the kind words from the blonde she smiled ever so slightly before putting a hand on Tsumugi's.

"Thank you…let's get to sleep, sounds like tomorrow isn't going to be a cake walk."  
"Hai. Uhm, I'll go find a room to-" As Tsumugi got up to leave she felt a hand hold her own and pulled her back down.

"There's no need to…leave…you could sleep here again…if you want." Nodoka whispered bashfully as the ojou-sama blinked down at her curiously before a smile graced her lips.

"Okay, I'll sleep here…"

* * *

Author Notes: Okay this chapter started out as another, but ended up being something else...which is perfectly fine, just had to rename it. XD Another uneventful...okay so it was eventful, Mio/Ritsu and Yui/Azusa...since the two couples are intimate and afraid they'll lose someone before the week is up so they sped things up in their relationship just so they could experience it together. And talk about shell-shocker...it's fricken hard to write about a character you kinda hate at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I love Ritsu to death, but after reading Adrena's latest chapter in "No, Thank You" I almost wanted to strangle the drummer for what she did, then I reminded myself it was only a fanfic, Ritsu isn't really like that and I went about my merry way writing. XD Hope you got your tissues, cause those smexy scenes were very hot. XD OH! And as for Jun, she is partial deaf for now, but medically she can recover most of her hearing, it just won't be at the level it use to be.


	8. Pounced In Fire

Pounced In Fire

Ui couldn't sleep.

Even though everyone had gotten their clothing washed and dried and all of them had gone to bed she was still awake.

Her mind kept thinking about how horrible of a friend she had been to Jun. Even though the others said it wasn't her fault she still couldn't seem to get her mind around the simple fact that it had been because of her that Jun was now partially deaf.

The friend in question was lying on Ui's lap, eyes closed as she slept, obviously still exhausted from what happened earlier that day, or was it yesterday?

Ui was beginning to lose track of time as she reached out to brush Jun's hair out of her face tenderly while sighing softly.

"I'm so sorry Jun-chan…" Ui whispered as she looked down at the sleeping friend, watching her chest rise and fall with each slow breath. She didn't understand what was coming over her as she leaned down to place a soft kiss on the bandaged forehead before she pulled back quickly, hand going to her lips as a bright blush spread across her face.

_W-What am I doing? I…just…did I really just do that?_ Ui asked herself as she stared down at the still sleeping girl on her lap, she didn't seem to stir at all from the soft kiss and it caused the panic in Ui to die down slightly even though she was still confused at her own actions. She decided she was thinking too much and tried once more to get some sleep. Her eyes slowly closed and she slowly began to drift off, she would have fallen asleep too if Jun hadn't snapped up so fast that they almost head butted.

"A-Ah! Ui! Did you feel that?" Jun asked as she quickly turned to stare at her friend's face in the dark.  
Ui blinked in confusion, she knew that Jun couldn't hear her very well, but as she waited for a moment and when she didn't feel anything out of the ordinary she shook her head.  
"…But…I could have sworn I felt something shaking…" Jun mumbled softly as she placed her hands on the ground and waited for a moment before shaking her head. "I must have just had a dream…I'm sorry if I woke you up." Jun said as she laid back down on Ui's lap and a small blush came to her cheeks as Ui just smiled and stroked her hair tenderly.

"I wish you could hear me Jun-chan…" Ui said causing Jun to blink in confusion before reaching up to hold the hand that was in her hair.  
"…I wish I knew what you just said Ui…I'm sorry I'm so useless…"

Ui sighed softly before she felt something. It felt like a small tremor and the house shook slightly. Jun's face was now stricken with terror.

"Please tell me you felt that."  
Ui nodded and slowly got up and was about to make her way to the window when she felt Jun grab her hand.

"Don't! what if it's a zombie of some sort…maybe that panzer zombie that Sachi-san was talking about." Jun said fearfully and she let out a whimper as Ui brushed the hand off and she went to look out one of the barricaded windows.

From what she could see, it was still drizzling a little, but not as bad as it was before. Still day so it must have been early morning. Then Ui's eyes caught something that fell from the sky not too far from the house. It was a small looking device, and it had a red blinking light on it and it made a loud beeping sound. Kind of like a…  
Ui's eyes went wide.

"Jun-chan! Move!" Ui yelled out instinctively as she ran over to her friend and instantly pushed her over the back of the couch so they could fall behind it before Ui put her body on top of Jun's as the device exploded, blowing some boards loose in the house and effectively waking up everyone inside.

"What the hell was that?" Ritsu yelled as she and Mio got up. Thankfully all of the residence in the house put their clothing back on before going to bed just in case something went wrong and when they all met downstairs the house gave another mighty shake.

"What the…" Sachi ran over to the window and looked outside just in time to see the device hit the front door. "Oh god, hit the deck!"

"Hit the wha-" Yui started before she felt Azusa yank her to the ground just as the front door, as well as some of the wall beside it got blown open, pieces of sharp wood, splinters, and shrapnel were sent flying in all directions as each girl in the house tried to avoid as much of it as possible.  
As soon as the debris died down Ritsu quickly got up to see another small device get tossed into the actual room they were in and she instantly began to scramble to get away.

"Get out of the house!" Sachi yelled as she helped Jun and Ui to their feet while the rest of them worked hard to pull down the barricade on the backdoor. It wasn't long after they got the door open that the device exploded once more sending all of the girls flying onto the grass outside.

A collective groan of pain could be heard from each girl before Nodoka pulled herself to the sitting position while Tsumugi looked at the house fearfully.

"Who is throwing bombs at us!" She yelled when she felt the ground shake some more with more explosions and she watched as they house they were so peacefully sleeping in started to burn to the ground.  
"O-Ouch, is everyone okay?" Azusa asked as she helped Yui to her feet before looking around at her recovering friends.

"We're okay over here, Azusa-chan." Ui replied as she and Jun got up as well.

"A-Ah, our guns were in there!" Ritsu yelled out as she sat up, Mio slowly got up as well and looked over at the house before she noticed a rather large looking man start to walk towards them from the other side of the house.  
"R-Ritsu, someone is-" Mio mumbled fearfully as she clung to the back of Ritsu's tattered uniform as the man got closer.

Sachi stood up and ran towards the man, a hand on her gun as she pointed it at him.

"Don't you dare come any closer! I'll shoot!" Sachi yelled threateningly as she stared the man down. He stopped short and tilted his head like a puppy before laughing a little louder then normal as his crazed eyes stared over at each girl.

"Protecting the young ones are you? I noticed that they aren't wearing a mask like you are…are they carriers?" The man asked while grinning, the smile easily making each young girl feel uneasy under his gaze.  
"That's none of your concern, now either go about your business, or I'll end your life right now…" Sachi ordered firmly, not feeling the least bit intimidated by the man's much larger stature.

If Nodoka had to describe the man, she would say he was a bear, large and muscular, but his eyes were the eyes of someone who had lost their mind, never staying in one place too long and his hair was a dirty black mess. She could also see that he hadn't shaved in quite some time and his clothing was a large black overcoat with burn marks all in it as well as business shirt and pants, both looked just as dirty as he was.

"I'm a carrier too…this apocalypse is fun is it not?" The man said as he clapped his hands loudly while staring at the field medic. "My name is Goro Hitori…what's your names?"  
"Like I said, you don't need to know that so either leave or-"  
The man suddenly moved, reaching into his overcoat pocket to produce another device before throwing it way over the girl's heads were it landed far off, they all looked at the man like he was crazy until a mob of zombies began rushing the device, drawn by the loud beeping, before it exploded, taking out all the zombies with it.

The group as a whole were stunned into silence before the man chuckled darkly once again.

"I love this apocalypse…I get to play with fire more then I could before…and none of those damned cops trying to stop me either." Goro said in a low growl as he began prowling closer. "I'm not going to cause any trouble, little missy…so why don't you be an adult and put the gun away."

Sachi considered this for a moment before she slowly lowered the weapon.

"What are you doing!" Ritsu hissed in a low whisper, causing the man's eyes to focus on her. She blanched and swallowed a hard lump in her throat as those unfocused eyes stared at her. She could easily feel Mio shaking behind her.  
"You got a problem with me kid?"

"Leave them alone. I'm letting you live; the least you can do is not scare them. Don't you have any heart?" Sachi said as she started walking away.

"Nope, lost it somewhere back at the hospital."

"Hospital?" Sachi narrowed her eyes at Goro before she motioned with her head to the street. "Come on girls, may as well make time now that we are awake."

"B-But h-he's…" Mio stuttered fearfully.

"Just ignore him, like a lost puppy he'll eventually get distracted with something else." Sachi said as she frowned hard before walking down the street while the girls quickly followed, neither of them wanting to be left with the man that tilted his head and watched them go.

"I have a question Sachi-san, since our weapons were in that house, I suggest we go grab some more…you know in case we happen to stumble onto any more of those special zombies." Nodoka said as she looked over at the still exhausted group. She felt bad for everyone; after all she didn't feel like she got enough rest either, but Ui looked even worse then the rest of them.

"We'll grab what we can whenever we pass something, however we're not going to wonder away from this path. It'll take us straight to the docks." Sachi replied angrily.

"I know you're upset about the crazy pyromaniac following us, but can you not take it out on us?" Nodoka hissed disapprovingly while she looked behind them to notice the man still lagging a few feet behind them.

"I can't help it, last thing I need is a full grown man that can't take care of himself. Not to mention he is dangerous and unpredictable." Sachi growled as she crossed her arms.

"Not to mention there's something wrong with his eyes." Mio mumbled numbly as she clung to Ritsu.

"Why are you all of a sudden afraid again Mio? You can take on zombies but this guy scares you?" Ritsu asked as she tried wiggling out of the firm hold Mio had her in as they walked.

"This is different! He's still…human. I don't know why that scares me more, but, he could do more then just try to kill us by biting."

"She's got a point Ritsu-senpai, plus…I don't want to be the one to say it, but…we can suffer a b-bit more psychological problems with someone human then someone undead." Azusa chimed in as she and Yui kept looking back to watch the man. "But either way, I'm very worried about us right now, we have no weapons and now a pyromaniac following us…things can't possibly be anymmph!" Azusa suddenly felt a hand on her lips as Yui looked at her wide-eyed.

"Don't say it! You'll jinx us!" Yui whispered as she began looking around for any signs of zombies before a low rumble of thunder caught her ears. "Aw, it sounds like it's going to rain again."  
"Or the storm before is moving away, Yui-chan…I'm so tired." Tsumugi said softly, her once bright blue eyes looking a bit dull, just like everyone else.

"It's okay Mugi-san, we'll be able to rest soon…hopefully, if someone will let us." Nodoka said irritably while Sachi just blatantly ignored her. But soon Sachi stopped and held up her hand, signaling them to stop walking to she could listen.

She was pretty sure she heard something.

Was it the gurgle of a vomiter?

Or the hiss of a tonguer?

"Hey look!" Yui yelled out suddenly, startling everyone, as she quickly left Azusa's side to run towards an alleyway where there looked to be fire axes and sharp wooden poles. "We have some weapons over here that we can use!"

"Yui! I thought we told you not to run off by yourse-" Azusa started before she heard Sachi take a sharp inhale of breath before the medic took off running towards Yui.

"Watch out!"

As Yui turned to look at the medic she didn't even have time to process the thought that something could be wrong as pain instantly struck her shoulders and chest.

Soon her brain began to process everything in rapid succession, she was now very aware that something had tackled her into the alleyway and that she could feel a sharp stabbing pain spread through her, she could also hear Azusa scream so loudly she thought something attacked her as well, but then Yui felt even more pain as whatever tackled her dug it's sharp claws into her sensitive shoulders.

Finally her eyes darted to the thing that was pinning her down and those eyes widened in fear when she noticed it was a zombie she hadn't seen before, and it's claws were crimson.

With her blood.

Yui couldn't even scream as it dug into her once more before it opened its mouth to bite down on her neck, but Yui finally got some sense into her and she raised her arm up to block the bite only to have it latch onto her arm. Lightheadedness took over her body as she let out a strangled gasp of pain before she felt the zombie get smacked off by one of the fire axes she saw before. The force behind the axe easily cut the thing in two before tiny hands reached out to unlock the thing's jaw from Yui's arm.

"Yui!"

_That sounds like Azusa…_

Yui's eyes kept focusing in and out as she noticed a shadow hanging over her before she felt silky hair touching the sides of her bloodstain cheeks. Soon the face came into sharp focus and Yui could see that it was Azusa and she looked very pale and scared, she was yelling something but the blood pounding in Yui's ears prevented her from being able to hear her. She felt someone else help her sit up before she saw her other friends had grabbed what little weapons there were and were trying to fight off a horde of zombies that had been attracted by Azusa's scream.

Yui then noticed it was getting harder and harder to breath and her hearing began to come back and she could vaguely hear Azusa and Sachi talking frantically.

"W-What are we going to do! There's so much b-blood!"

Azusa looked over the wounds Yui received from the so-called, pouncer zombie. She had many claw wounds, some were deeper then others, but the one wound that worried her most was the large deep claw wound near the base of Yui's neck. It had dark green goo that was starting to force its way out of the wound like blood, but it was much thicker.

Soon those worried garnet orbs shifted to the now dead half of the pouncer zombie. It looked like a smaller human that had a canine like face and large thick claws on its fingers. Its mouth was still dripping with her lover's blood as she quickly looked at Sachi who was trying to stop the bleeding.  
"Calm down! You're not helping the situation, the claws didn't puncture any vital organs, but I'm pretty sure she's experiencing a lot of pain right now…shit…go help the others, I'll work on treating these wounds."  
"Y-Yui…"

"There's too many! We need guns!" Ritsu yelled as she watched helplessly as Mio batted away another zombie as it tried to make its way into the alleyway.

Nodoka looked around fearfully as more zombies began to sprint towards their direction before the large man stood in front of them.

Goro's grin was crazed as his eyes focused on the incoming zombies. He then pulled out a bottle of sake from his jacket, dripped some of it onto a cloth he was holding before putting it in the bottle before instantly lighting it with a lighter. He then threw it into the oncoming zombies and watched in sick satisfaction as the bottle hit the ground and fire spread along the sake trails instantly lighting all the zombies on fire as they ran through it.

Goro laughed loudly as he turned to face the other direction and grabbed some more of his exploding devices he had hiding away and tossed two that way, the beeping causing the zombies to follow it instead of going after the girls.

Nodoka watched in amazement as the man literally saved them from being eaten. She knew that he probably did it because it was fun, but she still was thankful that he had been following them. Then something caught her attention from the corner of her eyes and she saw another one of those jumping zombies lung towards the man.

"Watch out!" Nodoka yelled, although she thought she was too late in warning him, she watched as he quickly turned, yanked a small blade from his jacket sleeve and stabbed the zombie in midair. It flopped harmlessly against his sturdy chest before falling to the ground lifelessly.

Goro's smile left his face as he turned to look at the stunned girls before quickly walking passed them towards Sachi, Azusa and Yui.

"Oh no…Yui." Ritsu mumbled as she and Mio instantly ran over to the medic before Ritsu grabbed her girlfriend's hand and stopped her from getting any closer when she noticed how much blood there was.

"Y-Yui?" Mio whimpered out when she saw the blood then saw the far away look in Yui's eyes as the medic began undoing her uniform so she could get to the wounds a little better.

Nodoka and the others stayed back, watching for any more zombies while Ui instantly ran back with Jun, both girls looking extremely pale as well as the young Hirasawa fell to her knees near her sister.

"No no no, Onee-chan…" Ui said in disbelief when she noticed what had happened. She turned to look at Azusa, who was still pale and her eyes were wide with fear as she helped Sachi clean the wounds.

"This isn't good." The medic mumbled sadly when she noticed the wound that had some green puss in it. "It looks poisoned…"  
"W-What?" Azusa and Ui yelled as Azusa quickly moved to look at the wound. "N-No."  
"Move aside, medic, let me deal with that…Oh actually you might want to hold her down, this'll hurt." Goro ordered as he knelt down next to Yui's vulnerable body and got out his lighter.

Azusa's eyes went ever wider.

"What are you doing!"  
"Someone get these two out of here. I can't work with screaming children."  
"W-What!" Azusa was about to move, but she felt Mio wrap her arms tightly around her waist and pulled her away from Yui while Nodoka grabbed Ui.  
Azusa struggled against the hold, but soon found herself with her face against Mio's chest and hands holding her firmly in place but trying to soothe her at the same time. Mio wasn't going to look at what was about to happen, once she saw the lighter she had a vague knowledge of what the man was going to do, and so did Nodoka.

"Ui, don't look, just focus on me okay?" Nodoka whispered as she pulled the still stunned girl against her, wrapping her arms around her tightly. Ui nodded numbly as she wrapped her arms around her sister's friend and buried herself in the embrace to block out whatever was going to happen.

"Hey, Medic, put something in the girl's mouth, she'll need something to bite into."

"Oh, I see what you're doing…don't take this to heart, but I'm glad you followed us." Sachi replied as she grabbed a wood piece that was nearby and wrapped it in a cloth before forcing Yui's mouth open so she could put it in.

"Bite into this Yui-chan." Sachi order, those blue eyes looking for any sign of life in those half-lidded eyes. Slowly the brunette did as she was told and clamped her teeth into the fabric. "Good girl, this is going to hurt, but it'll help you."

Yui's eyes flicked lazily towards the lighter then back at Sachi before Goro ignited the flame.

"Okay, which one was it?"

"The one on your right closest wound to her shoulder, the biggest one…see how it looks green?" Sachi said as she held Yui's arms down.

"Ah, I see." Goro mused as he put the flame against the wounded skin and began to burn it.

At first Yui didn't react to what was happening, but slowly her eyes went wide and she let out a muffled scream of pain before biting the fabric in her mouth as hard as she could before she started thrashing, trying to get away from the pain.

"W-What are you doing to her!" Azusa yelled out when she heard the scream, she began to struggle anew, but Mio's grip was very tight and she didn't want her kouhai to witness what was happening.

The two oldest veterns didn't answer her question; they were too focused on trying to burn that part of the wound without burning any other part since the oldest guitarist was thrashing so wildly.

"It's okay, calm down, shh shh…I know it hurts, I'm sorry." Sachi cooed as she continued to hold Yui down as she watched the wound becoming less and less infected looking.

"Let me go! S-Stop hurting her!" Azusa yelled out as she tried everything to get out of Mio's grasp, but when she heard Mio whisper soft words of reassurance all the fight seem to die and she slumped weakly against her senpai as tears coursed down her cheeks.

Soon Goro seemed pleased with his work and he pulled the lighter away and flicked it shut.

"That will do." He said as he gave Yui's matted hair a soft pat. "You did good for your first cauterization."

Yui twitched slightly as tears rolled down her cheeks, but at least she was breathing better and had more life in her eyes then before.

"Okay, time to bandage the rest of these up…" Sachi said as she took the fabric out of Yui's mouth and got out her medical tape and began to wrap up the rest of the wounds on her shoulders and arm.

Mio looked up at Ritsu, as if asking silently if it was okay to let Azusa go when she noticed the pained look in the drummer's eyes. So she continued to rock Azusa while whispering comforting words into her ear as the young kouhai gave soft whimpers of sorrow.

"N-Nodoka-s-san…w-what did he do to Onee-chan…w-what's cauterization?" Ui asked, voice and face emotionless as she continued to hold onto Nodoka like she was a lifeline, obviously very upset at what she heard.

"Cauterization is…where you burn the infected wound to stop the spread of infection…it's only done if theres no medical supplies nearby which we don't have especially…with what happened to Yui." Nodoka said softly as she pulled away slightly and looked up as Jun stood near, they stared at each other silently before Nodoka passed Ui over to the young bassist who knelt down and began to hug the distraught girl. She seemed to calm down considerably once she was in Jun's arms and that gave Nodoka a chance to get up and walk over to Sachi and Goro before offering her help to the two of them as they continued to clean and bandage Yui's wounds.

"Azusa…it's okay, come on…you can see Yui now-" Before Mio could even finish the sentence Azusa instantly pulled away and ran over to the fallen guitarist and stared down at the burned flesh that was one an open wound. She felt a surge of anger and pain as she looked at Yui's slowly rising chest before she turned to the large man and made to slap him, but his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist tightly.

"Whoa, koneko-chan-"  
"You! Don't have the right to call me that! Not after what you just did!" Azusa snapped as she raised her other hand to slap, but he also caught that one and Azusa began to struggle as those crazed eyes looked curiously into the angry garnet orbs.

"You're angry with me because I saved your friends life? So what if it hurt her, at least she's not dead." Goro stated as he began to frown.

The look that was on his face made Azusa's courage and anger shrink back into its hole and the struggle died as she looked fearfully at him.

It wasn't long after that Goro released her and got up to give the group room so they could see how Yui was doing.

They all let out a breath they didn't know they were holding as Yui slowly sat up on her own, pain etched in her face as she stared at Sachi.

The medic shook her head a little and patted the brunette on the head softly before moving to get up.

"Okay, I hate to be the one to say this, but despite the wounds, we need to keep moving."

"W-What! But Sachi-san-" Azusa yelled out but was silenced by the fact that Yui got up onto her feet without any help and instantly hugged the field medic from behind.

Sachi's eyes went wide when she felt the hug and she turned to look down at the girl latched around her middle.

"T-Thank you…" Yui mumbled as she nuzzled the medic's back, fear and pain still showing through her gratitude.

"…What for?" Sachi asked, still stunned by the sudden show of affection.

"For comforting me d-during that…and for s-saving all of us…you didn't have to but…you did. Thank you…"  
"…Don't thank me yet…we haven't gotten out of the city yet." Sachi said as she pulled away from the hug and put her hands on Yui's shoulders. "But, thanks for that…and you might want to thank Goro here too…after all he was pretty smart, cauterizing the wound before it got too bad. Even if he is a psychotic pyro."

The man shrugged a little and grinned rather sluggishly at the wounded girl.  
"I'm not much of a hugger, girl so you might wanna just-oof!" Goro looked down and noticed he had suddenly had a tiny girl latched to him as well now. "…Affectionate aren't you?" He said as he awkwardly patted her head.

Yui nodded against his stomach before she pulled back to give him a grateful gaze before pulling away to stumble slightly before Azusa caught her around the waist.  
"Y-Yui, don't…use up so much of your energy…you're really hurt." Azusa said softly as hooked Yui's arm around her shoulder before putting her own arm around her waist so she could help her walk.

"Thank you Azusa…"  
Ritsu and Mio looked at each other, finally noticing the lack of honorifics between the two girls and couldn't help but smile slightly in a knowing way before going to follow Sachi while Jun and Ui walked near Yui and Azusa, keeping a close eye on the two of them as Azusa helped Yui walk.

"O-Onee-chan? Are you going to be okay?" Ui asked fearfully.

"H-Hai…I'll be f-fine…" Yui said weakly as she leaned most of her weight against Azusa, but trying valiantly to carry her own.

Ui almost reached out to steady Yui as she stumbled once more, but Jun caught the hand and shook her head a little. She might not be able to hear, but she could tell Yui would be fine with Azusa. The young guitarist grunted softly when Yui stumbled, but easily picked up the slack. Ui noticed this and her shoulders slumped slightly before Jun put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a hug while they followed to protect the two in case more zombies showed up.

Nodoka and Tsumugi brought up the rear, other then Goro who still preferred to trail behind, and they looked worriedly over all their friends.

"I'm worried…the injuries keep pilling up." Tsumugi said softly as her eyebrows furrowed softly before she turned to look at Nodoka.

The glasses wearing girl nodded silently before closing her eyes and sighing weakly.

"At least…none of us are dead…" Nodoka whispered, "That is all I can hope for, we can get hurt, but at least we can heal…at least...I hope we can."

* * *

Author Notes: Writing this chapter was a pain for some reason, I had to finalize Goro's character (Thanks again to Mr. Kyon for the suggestion, after all how else was I going to introduce Molotov's and pipe bombs. XD ) , look up cauterizing to make sure I used it right, which I think I did…I'm pretty sure I did, and once again it was just hard action wise. I'm really no good at them XD.

**Also to those who keep pointing out that Gun Shops are illegal in Japan, thank you, I didn't know this and I will keep that in mind and do much more research when I write my next big fic. I'm sorry if it bothers you so much, but again, just a fanfic, didn't know, but will do more research next time. Forgive me if it bugs you, but just try to look over it for now. ._.;**

Now then…next chapter is going to be hectic…get ready for some really bad things about to go down…


	9. Captured

Captured

"Manabe-san, do you need me to teach you how to read a sea map as well?" Sachi asked as she felt the shorthaired girl walk up beside her.

"A sea map?" Nodoka asked as she blinked a couple of times in confusion.

"So you'll be able to read the directions I give you to the island you'll be safe on." Sachi replied as she pulled out a map to look at how far from the docks they were. "I'm hoping the power is still on so I can hack into the computers and see if I can find something close and easy to get to."

"So you're really not going with us?" Nodoka asked worriedly. "I know you've been slowly teaching me how to bandage a wound and how to clean it, but…look at Yui, she's really hurt, you can't just put us on a boat and expect her to survive the trip without you."  
"Manabe-san…first of all, your friend Yui-chan will be fine, most of those wounds aren't deep and will heal over time. The one wound that was worrisome is now cauterized and shouldn't require any more attention." Sachi said as she sighed softly. She looked a bit sad as she tried to think of how to tell the young leader what was on her mind. "Anyways, let's just focus on getting to the docks then…we'll talk about what to do next."

Nodoka nodded softly, she was starting to feel like she had more in common with Sachi as time went on. Sure the medic was rough around the edges, but she did help them whenever one of them got hurt, and she was sympathetic to their cause.

"Yui!"

Nodoka quickly turned around as Azusa fell to her knees. Yui had collapsed once more and was breathing rather heavily while her eyes were screwed shut in pain.

"Yui…" Nodoka whispered fearfully as she ran back towards her friend and got down beside her. "What's wrong?"  
"…N-Nodoka-chan…my legs don't w-want to work anymore." Yui mumbled weakly as she leaned against her kouhai for support. Azusa's eyes were once again tearing up as she wrapped her arms tightly around her beloved senpai, nuzzling her tenderly. Nodoka could easily see Yui's body shaking and quickly got up and turned to Ritsu and Mio, both of who had stopped to look at their wounded friend in concern.

"Ritsu, do you still have those pain pills?" Nodoka asked.  
"Yeah, but is it okay to give them to her?" Ritsu asked as she turned to look at Sachi, who was also kneeling next to Yui checking her bandages to make sure they were still secure. The field medic nodded a little and stood up.

"Wait here, I'll go see if there's a water bottle of some sort in that shop so we can give her some. That may help her." Sachi said as she quickly jogged towards the shop to grab some water.

Ritsu walked to Azusa and Yui and she placed a reassuring hand on Azusa's head, patting it softly before kneeling down.

"You hanging in there yourself, Azusa?" Ritsu asked worriedly.

"N…N-no…" Azusa whimpered out as she hugged Yui closer, feeling her senpai's head lay limply against her chest. "I'm worried…"  
"I know…you two seem closer then normal…" Ritsu said making Nodoka look up curiously. The glasses wearing girl didn't notice it before, but then it suddenly made sense, Azusa was so worried about Yui's condition because they were…

"Yes, I love her Ritsu-senpai…even if we were just friends I'd still be worried…but I love her." Azusa said firmly, causing the semi-conscious girl in her arms to smile.  
"Azusa…" Yui whispered tenderly while Ritsu and Mio began to smile more.

"What's going on? I can't hear them?" Jun asked Ui as she tilted her head towards the others as Ui leaned up near her ear to tell her what was going on, but decided since she was still a little deaf she would just smile, but before she could even pull her lips away from the ear they brushed slightly against the lobe causing Jun to jump and blush deeply, staring at Ui with wide eyes while the young Hirasawa also looked just as shocked at her own action.

"Ui?"

"A-Ah…uhm…" Ui smiled nervously before quickly looking away from her friend and back at the others.

"Don't worry Azusa, Yui's tougher then she looks, once we give her these pills things will get better, you'll see." Ritsu said confidently as she gave her kouhai a pat on the back.

"Hey Ritsu," Mio mumbled as she looked around curiously, "Have you noticed that Goro stopped following us?"  
"Huh? Really?" Ritsu stood back up and began to scan the area with her golden eyes.

Mio was right, Goro was nowhere to be found.

"Well…couldn't say I didn't see it coming. That man was…pretty odd anyways." Ritsu said, though there was a hint of sadness in her voice that Mio caught and the raven haired bassist leaned in instinctively and kissed her cheek causing everyone around them to stare wide eyed.

"Looks like I'm not the only one in love." Azusa said with a weak smile as Yui chuckled softly.

"Uh…yeah about that…" Ritsu said as she began blushing heavily while rubbing the back of her head nervously while Mio shuffled her feet and looked at the ground, avoiding everyone's gaze as she blushed as well.

"Sorry it took me so long," Sachi yelled as she ran back towards the group with a small water bottle.

Ritsu instantly took out the bottle of pain pills and handed them to the medic before she got down on her knees beside Yui and Azusa.

"Open your mouth Yui-chan." Sachi instructed.

The brunette did as she was told and she felt two pills being popped into her mouth before water was offered to her. She gulped it down and sighed softly while Azusa looked on.

"Okay, it'll take a while for those to take affect, but we have to keep moving-" Sachi's head suddenly turned towards a noise and she was about to pull out her gun when a man in full body armor and a gas mask on ran out with a gun pointed directly at the field medic.

"Put your weapons down! Now!"

Sachi cursed very loudly as the man was followed by a few more, all of them pointing their guns at the group and all of them wearing gas masks.

Jun and Ui sat their weapons down first while Nodoka and Tsumugi cringed at the fact that they had run into the military at a really bad time. Ritsu and Mio placed their weapons down as well and Sachi stood up firmly after having placed her gun down and she raised her hands into the air while walking towards the man who looked to be in command.

"Don't shoot! We're just passing through-"  
"Doesn't matter, get on the ground right now, hands on your head."  
"Just let us pass we're not causing-"  
"Now!" The man walked forward and pointed the gun at Sachi warningly and the medic growled before putting her hands on her head and getting on her knees.

"Everyone else do the same…" The man stopped yelling as he noticed the blood on Yui's outfit and Azusa almost whimpered when he began matching towards them.  
"Carriers…" He growled deeply as he reached out shoved Azusa away from her lover then grabbed Yui's wounded arm and yanked her to her feet, causing the older guitarist to yelp out in pain.

"H-Hey don't she's hurt!" Azusa yelled as she quickly got up to help Yui, but another man grabbed her around the middle and lifted her into the air as she began to struggle.  
"Leave her alone!" Ritsu yelled but before the girls could do anything they were already surrounded and each one of them were being restrained while the commander looked over Yui's injuries.

"Onee-chan!" Ui yelled out when she noticed the pained look on her sister's face as she masked men began dragging Yui across the ground as her legs gave out from under her again.

"Get up."  
Yui just whimpered as the man gave another growl.

"I said get up!" He yanked her arm again, earning a hiss of pain before Yui forced herself to stand, legs nearly giving out from under her as she was forced to walk while the commander tugged her along by the arm.

Azusa was furious, but she could do nothing as her arms were gripped behind her and the man forced her to walk along with the rest of them.

They were lead to a small outpost that was surrounded by military personal. The fencing looked sturdy and sound while it surrounded the small area of tents and a medium sized metal shed, and it had the words explosives written in Japanese across it.

Nodoka was very worried as they were lead into the area towards a small tent that had a large man in a decorated suit with a mask on, and on his right was what looked like to be a doctor of some sort who also had a mask on.

Nodoka figured they were all paranoid about catching the virus and were relying heavily on their equipment to make sure they didn't catch it.  
"What do you have here commander?" The decorated man asked.

"Carriers, General…we found them wondering in our perimeter." The commander said firmly. Yui's legs started to give out on her again and the man unceremoniously dropped her to the ground. "Thought we should bring them alive since the good doctor needed more test subjects…this one however…is she useful?" The commander asked.

Azusa's eyes were now wide with fear as she watched the doctor walk up to her wounded lover and he reached down to grab her chin roughly. He tilted her head many different directions, earning whines and whimpers of pain before he noticed a growing maroon spot on her white button up shirt.

"She would have been fine if you hadn't been so rough with the subject. You military people are so impudent and disorderly…" The doctor hissed as he pulled away from Yui and his eyes scanned the group. "However, there are eight others I can work with so…the loss of one won't be that bad."  
"N-No!" Azusa yelled out as she bit into the arm of the man holding her. Out of sheer panic that he might get infected the man let go and she instantly ran over to her lover and wrapped her arms around her shaking form, growling deep within her throat at the general as he frowned deeply at her actions.

Azusa felt the warm spot on Yui's uniform and couldn't help but become even more worried that one of the wounds had reopened and she now had many guns pointed at her and Yui.

"Stupid little brat-" The man yelled before the commander stopped him from advancing.

"How do you feel about just seven test subjects Doc?" The general asked as he glared in disgust down at the two cowering girls.

The doctor shrugged a little.

"I don't care as long as I have something to work with."

"Then just take me, let these girls go!" Sachi suddenly yelled out as she removed her mask.

For the first time since they first met her, Nodoka was able to finally see the medic's full face. She was very beautiful and looked to be around the age of either thirty or thirty-five.

"You're a carrier? What was with the mask then?" The general asked as he titled his head in slight interest at Sachi.

"…I didn't think I was a carrier, but after being around these girls for so long and not catching any of the symptoms…well you put two and two together."

The general stroked his bearded chin in thought.

Nodoka dared to take a look at all her friend's faces as the military man thought about the proposition.

She could see Ui's face had gone pale at the sight of her sister and best friend being the target of certain death if the general so pleased, Jun was equally as worried and her eyes kept flicking back and forth between Ui, Yui and Azusa.

Ritsu and Mio were both watching their friends as well; sweat dripping down their faces from the panic they were feeling as well as the fear of the idea of being tested on.

Then dark brown eyes caught deep blue.

Her and Tsumugi gave each other a concerned gaze before Tsumugi mouthed 'It's okay' to Nodoka. She didn't understand why, but she relaxed a little under that gaze before she heard a click of a gun and her head snapped back to her childhood friend and her girlfriend to find the General had pull his magnum from his belt and was pointing it straight at Yui.

_No, please god no…please d-don't let them get killed! Please!_

Nodoka thought furiously as she began to shake violently as the man walked closer to her two vulnerable and prone friends.

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow the weak to live…it's too costly to keep something alive that'll die anyways."  
Azusa tightened her grip on Yui and closed her eyes tightly as she tried to shield as much of her lover as possible as she prepared for the inevitable.

She and Yui were going to die, and there was nothing Azusa could do about it, these men, who were suppose to help citizens, had turned on them.  
After almost expecting the trigger to be pulled any time now, Nodoka turned her head away from the scene and closed her eyes tightly as well, fearing the worst, but then a noise seemed to catch everyone's attention. The general had pulled the gun back and turned his head slightly as the noise became louder and louder.

"What the…Corporal! What's that noise?" The general commanded as the man next to him listened intently.

"Sounds like…a car horn sir."

"General! A flaming car is heading straight for us!" A random soldier called out in panic as the general turned to see the source of the loud noise getting closer to his small outpost.

"Stop that car! Shoot it! Shoot it!" He yelled as most of the men turned to fire at the oncoming car. However, since it wasn't driven by anyone, the car continued till it rammed through the fence. The tires got caught on the wiring and it caused the car to flip onto it's side and slide across the ground taking out a few soldiers in the process before it came to a stop right before it got close to the girls. Thankfully, the girls had been released in the panic the car caused and they darted in different directions to get away as the soldiers noticed why the car's horn was going off. Someone had set it off to lead a rush right to them.

"Rush!"

Nodoka looked around frantically as zombies began to pour into the opening the car had made. While it effectively distracted the military she couldn't find any of her friends. They had been separated, and that was above all else, the worst thing that could possibly happen.

"Ritsu! Mio! Mugi-san!" Nodoka yelled out as she dodged a soldier who ran passed her only to get tackled to the ground by a pouncer zombie. Nodoka was in a state of panic, not only did she have to make sure not to get killed in the crossfire, but now she had to watch out for the special infect that had been drawn in by the car. Then she wondered who would even set a car on fi-

Nodoka frowned as she realized who had sent the car in.

In fact, the man in question finally showed up with two Molotov's in his hands. Goro laughed manically as he tossed the bottles, burning a path through both zombies and soldiers as he spotting Nodoka on the ground. He quickly made his way over to the fallen girl and helped her to her feet.

"Thought I left you guys?" He asked grinning crazily while chuckling to himself.

"You! Insufferable man! You could have killed us! In fact, I don't even know where the others are!" Nodoka yelled as tears began to appear in her eyes.

"Let's find them then. Stay behind me." Goro instructed as he turned to run, Nodoka following right behind. She then noticed out of the corner of her eye Tsumugi being grappled by a soldier. She was struggling pretty hard against his hold, but couldn't seem to break his grasp.

"Goro! Help her!" Nodoka yelled causing the large man to stop and turn his head towards the blonde.

"My pleasure." Goro growled as he quickly ran towards the soldier.

"L-Let me go!" Tsumugi yelled as the man behind her huffed irritably.

"Stay still girl!" He yelled out before he felt a hand grab his collar and yanked him backwards making him lose his grip on Tsumugi. He was then spun around and before he could yell Goro grabbed the man's mask, yanked it off, and slammed his fist into the soft nose. The soldier dropped like a ton of bricks and Tsumugi looked up at the gruff man with gratitude in her eyes.

"Come on, get up girl, we have to look for your friends and what's her face…Medic." Goro said as Nodoka ran up and hugged Tsumugi tightly, which startled the blonde but she eagerly returned the hug.

"You mean Sachi-san? Oh I hope she and the others are okay…" Tsumugi said as Nodoka grabbed her hand and they three of them began their search once more in the hectic chaos.

Jun couldn't believe all the muffled noise she was hearing, screams of soldiers, screams of infected, fire, gunshots and so many other things. It was disorientating her a little as she crawled on the ground trying to find a safe spot to recollect herself, but she soon found herself being hoisted into the air by a military solider, his mask was off and blood was dripping down his face and then Jun noticed his eyes were a milky white. He had been turned and he was going to kill her! Jun began to kick and struggle as hard as she could against the hold and she couldn't help but scream out as she felt that rotten breath hit her face before she was suddenly dropped.

Jun's ears were ringing a little and she could faintly hear a voice over the muffled noises. Violet eyes widened when she noticed Ui was holding a handgun she had picked off one of the already dead bodies and had fired it at the undead soldier's head instantly killing him. She dropped the gun and was at Jun's side in an instant helping her to her feet before the two of them ran behind the metal shed.

"Are you crazy!" Jun yelled, not expecting to hear a response as she continued her rant. "You could have gotten yourself killed by standing out like that, we both could have died! How do you think I would feel if I watched you get shot in th-mmph…" Jun's rant was cut short as Ui grabbed her by the collar and yanked her into a deep kiss. It was full of fear, worry, and relief that she had felt after seeing her friend get pulled into the air by a zombie, looking like she was about to get killed, and all she could do was think about how she hadn't gotten to tell Jun how she felt yet. They stayed like that for a few moments before Ui pulled back quickly and looked around to make sure they weren't in any danger before looking up into Jun's eyes, hoping she hadn't damaged her friend anymore then this whole event had already done so.

However, she didn't get to see the damage for Jun pulled her back into the kiss, holding it a little longer before pulling back to smile.  
"Oh…I get it now…" She whispered softly as Ui began to blush more.

"Little b-bitches..."  
Ui quickly turned to see a wounded soldier staggering towards them with a rifle in his hands, he was about to pull the trigger when a shot rang out and blood spewed from the man's head as he dropped to the ground.

"Girls, are you okay?" Sachi yelled as she ran over to the two frightened kouhai before both of them nodded quickly. "Okay good…we have to find your friends, hopefully they're still alive in this mess!"

"Ritsu!" Mio yelled out as she quickly dodged a pouncer, not paying attention to it as it tackled a soldier chasing her. She had been separated from her lover after a vomiter tried to spit at them and once again Ritsu had pushed her out of the way before a mob of both zombies and soldiers blocked her view of her girlfriend. Now she was running around, trying not to get killed while also looking for the girl she loved.

"Ritsu!" Mio yelled out once more, stormy grey eyes darting back and forth. She was about to turn when she felt a slimy tongue wrap around her arms and waist yanking her backwards before dragging her on the ground. She let out a loud scream of fear as she noticed a tonguer eagerly pulling her along, its jaws wide open dripping with the paralyzing orange goo, ready for the meal it would inevitably have.

"N-No!" Mio yelled as she tried to stop herself, but with her arms tied down she couldn't do anything but wiggle and thrash violently. Just as she was about to get to the feet of the infected Mio could hear someone give a loud battle cry. She opened her eyes and watched happily as Ritsu came running at the tonguer with what looked like a combat dagger and she quickly stabbed it in the forehead. The zombie shrieked in pain and its tongue came loose allow Mio to wiggle free before she ran up to Ritsu and planted a 'my hero' kiss on her lips before quickly pulling away to grab her hands and run.

"Thank you! Thank you Ritsu!"

"Awww, anytime my princess…wait a second, I thought you were suppose to be Romio." Ritsu said playfully.

"Now isn't the time Ritsu!"

"Right right, sorry. Forgot about all the bullets and zombies…ooooh, Mio over here!" Ritsu yelled as she yanked backwards on her girlfriend's hand and ran towards a large cargo truck. "We can take this, look it's still got the key in it." Ritsu said as she opened the door and looked in the ignition.

While Ritsu was looking in the driver's seat Mio ran around to look in the back and her eyes widened at how many guns and ammunition was in there.

"This…is actually a good idea Ritsu." Mio said as she felt her girlfriend walk up beside her.

"Oi…"  
"No no, if we can find Sachi-san we can get her to drive this and we wouldn't have to walk to the docks." Mio replied as she smiled. "We have a plan!"

"Sweet, let's go look for the others then…and hope they are still alive."

Pain.

Unimaginable pain coursed through her body. Yui's vision was blurred and colors and shapes meant nothing as they mixed together as she dragged herself on the ground, trying to get away from the chaos that was all around her. She had been knocked away from Azusa and was now lost, confused and in so much pain. The wound that had reopened felt like someone had stuck a hot iron into it and wasn't letting her have any rest from the hot white flashes that would sometimes temporarily blind her. Soon, Yui could no longer pull herself and she collapsed onto the ground. She didn't want it to end this way, she didn't want to leave her friends yet, and she didn't even get to say goodbye to Azusa.

"Yui!"

A smile graced the injured guitarist's lips as she felt herself get turned on her back and the face of the girl she loved appeared above her.  
"A-A-Azusa…I thought…I'd lost…you." Yui huffed out weakly.  
"H-Hang in there, Yui…I'll get you somewhere safe…" Azusa quickly linked her arms under Yui's shoulders and began to drag her girlfriend backwards towards one of the tents and she quickly pulled her into it and sat her down. "T-There…that didn't hurt too bad did it?" Azusa asked as she noticed the pained look on Yui's face.  
"N-Not more then usual…it really hurts Azusa…I c-can barely see…"  
"Don't worry, I'll find Sachi-san and she'll know what to do-" As Azusa was about to get up she felt Yui grip her wrist tightly, or as tight as she could, the grasp was very weak.

"Azusa…" Yui whispered making her kouhai turn to look at her worriedly. "I…I don't think I'm…g-going to m-make it…I-I'm so tired…"  
"D-Don't say that Yui." Azusa pleaded as she got back down beside Yui and began to stroke her cheek.  
"You'll be b-back to your old self in no time…y-you just have to h-hang in there okay?" Tear began to drip onto Yui's face and the older girl gave a soft sob of pain.

"I-I don't k-know if I c-can…" Yui admitted, fear coursing through her as another stabbing pain shot through her. "I-It really hurts…I'm scared A-Azusa…I'm r-really scared."

Azusa stroked those tear soaked cheeks as she leaned down and pressed her lips against Yui's in a tender desperate kiss.

"Don't leave me…" Azusa begged. "I can't stand to be alone…I lost my parents…I don't want to lose you too…"

"Touching…" It was Azusa's turn to feel pain as someone grabbed her pigtail and yanked her off Yui, she opened her mouth to scream but was silenced when she felt a hot barrel of a recently fired gun pressed to her temple. "Thanks to you…my whole camp…my squad…everything is ruined." It was the general. And it looked like he sustained a few bites and wounds from the zombies but was still standing and was still alive.

Azusa could feel her heart pound against her chest as he continued to press the gun more forcefully against her head.

"I'm going to do what I should have done faster…I'll kill you both, then neither of you will be alone." He hissed as he grinned darkly down at Yui's now frightened face.

He didn't get to fire though as an unearthly roar rolled across the entire military outpost.

It was a sound no one had heard before.

Not only that, it seemed to cause the zombies to scatter before everything went deathly quiet.

"…What in the world was that?" The general mumbled to himself as he lowered the gun from Azusa's head. Taking this chance the younger girl quickly snapped her head back, head butting the general in the chin, making him bite his own tongue as she quickly struggled away hoping he would chase after her and leave Yui alone.

She was right, for as soon as the General recovered from the blow he disappeared out of the tent and into the opening.

"You little-" The general aimed his gun at the fleeing girl and his finger moved to pull the trigger. But as he made to fire, a giant slab of cement sailed through the air and slammed into the man, instantly crushing him beneath the rock, but also trapping Yui in the tent. Yui groaned out when she noticed the large cement slab on the tent flaps and she could feel her heart begin to beat even faster as her vision began to go dark.

"A-Azusa…"

Azusa quickly stopped and turned to look at the slab then tried to locate where it came from. Garnet orbs darting back and forth until she saw something that literally stopped her heart. There, more then a few yards away, was a large shadow that slowly came into view.

It looked like a zombie, but it was built like a heavy weight lifter. Its veins in those large muscles pulsing with blood while its almost glowing red eyes staring deep into her soul even though it was yards away. It was the biggest zombie she had ever seen, she knew it was a zombie because of the torn flesh hanging off different parts of it's body. But it was obviously very strong if it could hurl a slab of cement from that far away.

Azusa didn't know what it was about those eyes, they scared her more then anything she had seen yet. Then she remembered why.

_They say it focuses on one target until that target's heart has stopped beating._

_That…can't be the panzer…can it? _Azusa thought as she stayed perfectly still. But her heart continued to pound harsh against her ribs.

The zombie gave another roar before charging towards the stunned kouhai.

_Run you coward! Run!_ Azusa's mind screamed, her legs were on auto as she turned and just sprinted as fast as she could away from the raging zombie. It easily caught up with her and began smashing it's fists down near her, trying to catch her body, but thanks to her small size she quickly dodged the attacks while yelling out in fear.

They were getting so close to hitting her that she could feel the wind from the swings. Azusa could no longer hear, all the blood pumping through her system was making it very hard to hear at all, and all she was doing was going off instinct now, trying to survive while this crazy thing swung it's massive arms at her, trying to kill her.

Nodoka, Tsumugi, and Goro were the first people to see the Panzer chasing Azusa and Goro began to snarl when he looked at it.

"That's got to be the biggest zombie I've ever seen…" Goro mused as his crazed eyes glimmered a little.  
"Oh god, Azusa-chan! You gotta help her!" Tsumugi cried out as she looked around for anything to use and grabbed one of the rifles off the ground and aimed at the zombie.

The large man's crazed eyes looked at the large zombie then at the pigtailed girl it was chasing as she began to climb one of the watchtowers.

"Stupid girl! Don't climb that!" Goro yelled as he quickly got out a Molotov and lit it before tossing it over towards the panzer. He hit it right on the head and smiled as it quickly engulfed the panzer.

However, to his great surprise the zombie continued to chase after Azusa, ignoring the fact that it was on fire as it began to climb up the ladder as well. The screws began to come loose as the panzer closed in on the ever tiring girl. Azusa could literally feel the heat from the fire coming off the zombie's body as it got closer and closer to her.

"Azusa!" She heard her senpai yell before shots began to ring out as all eight of her friends, including Goro and Sachi, began shooting at the panzer with guns they had picked up off the ground.

Azusa felt a bullet whiz past her head and she yelped out in fear as she reached the top of the watchtower, her heart soared when she thought she was going to make it, but as she stood on the edge she felt the large hand grip her ankle tightly as the ladder gave way. The panzer gave a loud roar of anger as it was thrown off, pulling Azusa with it. She tried to grab onto anything as she was dragged across the metal before she began free falling.

_No!_

She gave a scream of terror she and the zombie fell through the air. The panzer hit the roof of the metal shed below first, getting impaled by metal slabs before Azusa tumbled down after. She grunted in pain as her body hit the ground hard, it knocked the wind out of her as well as cause as sharp pain in her leg. She almost thought she broke something, but when she wiggled her toes she let out a sigh of relief.

Azusa had survived the fall.  
She was about to get back up when she felt her ankle get caught once more and she was yanked towards the panzer.

It was still alive! It was growling lowly while Azusa screamed once more and began kicking its hand trying to get it to release her when she noticed the fire still burning on its flesh. Then her nose picked up the faint scent of gunpowder over the stronger scent of burning flesh. Her garnet eyes darted around the room seeing all the boxes labeled with the words explosive or flammable.

_Oh no…Oh no no no!_

She began to struggle even more, twisting her foot in the process as the panzer lifted her up into the air then yelled out in pain as Azusa finally grabbed a small metal slab and stabbed the zombie in the hand causing it to release her. She fell to the ground between the zombie and the wall of the metal shed and quickly curled up into a ball and hid her ears with her hands while closing her eyes tightly.

The fire spreading to the boxes.

"Azusa!" Mio yelled after they witnessed their kouhai fall into the shed.

"Azusa-chan!" Ui yelled out as she made to run towards the medium shack, but Jun quickly caught her around the waist just in time.

It wasn't long after they two fell into the explosive shed that there was a brilliant flash of light and fire as the whole place went up in flames.  
"No…no no no! No! Azusa!" Ritsu yelled as she started to run towards the flame, but Goro grabbed her and quickly handed her to Sachi before he took off his jacket and tossed all the flammable things he had to the ground before running into the flaming shed.

"You crazy idiot!" Sachi yelled as she held tightly onto Ritsu while the others looked on.

"A-Ah where's Onee-chan!" Ui finally realized as she began looking around furiously. Mio also began to search for their lost guitarist then she noticed the slab of cement in front of a tent and gasped softly as she ran over to it.

"Sachi-san let go of Ritsu, Ritsu get over here and slash open this tent with your knife."

Ritsu looked back and forth from the fiery shed to the tent before making a soft noise of despair before running towards her girlfriend. She pulled the knife up and began slashing at the tent flap, tearing it open to find Yui, lying unconscious on the ground.

She was barely breathing.

"Yui…." Mio instantly dropped to her knees and pulled Yui into her arms before picking her up bridal style to carry her out of the tent. Ritsu watched over her carefully before following her back to the group as they waited for any sign of Goro or Azusa.

Inside the flaming shed, Goro's suddenly sharp eyes scanned the small metal shed for any signs of life, or anything that looked large and fleshy or tiny and helpless. As he began to make his way though the flames he began to cough heavily as the smoke began to burn his lungs. He may love fire, but not being able to breath was taking all the fun out of it.

Soon he heard a soft cry of pain and quickly ran towards it.

"Speak to me girl! Say something! Anything!" Goro yelled as his crazed eyes searched once more. Soon his eyes landed on a large lump of burnt flesh. It was obviously the panzer zombie, burned and killed by the explosion. Then Goro felt something inside him, he felt guilt.

Worry.

Pain?

He frowned hard as he walked over to the burning flesh and gave it a sharp kick to get his anger out on it before he heard the soft whimpering noise once more, this time much closer.

"Girl?" Goro instantly ran around the fleshy lump and looked under it.

Wedge between the wall and the lump of burnt flesh was Azusa. It appeared that the zombie had shielded her from most of the explosion, but her uniform was in ruins, her back was bare and she had a few burn marks, and she was curled up in a tight ball, afraid to move because it might cause her pain, not to mention her legs seemed to be trapped under the panzer's body.

Goro slowly began to push the zombie up, allowing some room for movement, but even as he did this, the tiny vulnerable girl refused to move.

"You have to move on your own girl! I can't hold this up and pull you out at the same time…come on, before another explosion happens!" Goro commanded furiously.

"I…I-I c-can't…" Azusa gasped out before going into a coughing fit, the smoke was getting to her as well.  
"Yes you can, come on! Move!" Goro groaned out as the weight began to take its toll.

At first Azusa didn't move and Goro was about to yell at her again, but then he noticed her arms twitch before she reached out and began to crawl out from under the zombie's body. Goro dropped the body once Azusa was clear of it and he instantly pulled her tiny body into his arms and ran out of the shed just as the fire hit another box of explosions, the explosion caused Goro to tumble to the ground, but he rolled in a way so Azusa wouldn't get hurt at all. As he stood up the others gave a collective sigh of happiness when they saw their friend and kouhai okay.

"Azusa-chan!" Tsumugi yelled out as she and the rest of the Light Music members ran over to her while Mio stayed back with Yui in her arms.

"Azusa…it's okay…it's over now." Ritsu said as she began to pat the semi-conscious girl's cheek, trying to keep her awake. "Those burns don't look too bad…how the hell did you survive that?" Ritsu asked when she finally noticed all the burns small on the kouhai's body.

"Smart girl, this one is." Goro said as he grinned in amusement. "She used the panzer's body to shield herself from the first explosion. Killed the zombie, saved her."

"Azusa-chan…" Ui mumbled softly as she clung to Jun, she was happy Azusa was okay, but then her eyes looked over at her sister's body. Mio gave the younger Hirasawa a sympathetic look before averting her eyes as she quickly ran over to Sachi.

"Sachi-san…Yui is-"  
The medic stood up and put a hand to Yui's neck, feeling for a pulse. She frowned a little before giving the worried bassist a smile.

"She's fine, those pills we gave her are working…she'll wake up soon. However we need to get out of here so I can dress those wounds and so we can get you food supplies for the trip over the sea." Sachi replied as she looked around for a way out.

"Oh!" Ritsu yelled as she jumped up and down. "We found a good way to get out of here, plus have something we can use to transport supplies."

Mio smiled at this as she and her lover showed the others the cargo truck they had found.

"…Good job. Never thought we'd get to use one of these…hell I didn't think we'd get out of this situation alive to be honest." Sachi mused as she looked over the truck, seeing that it was in good condition before she opened the back and motioned the others in. "Get in, I'll drive us to the docks…there we'll get the map, get everyone bandaged up, then we'll get the food…Then by tonight you should be able to go."  
Goro tilted his head curiously as he listened to the plan. His eyes becoming less crazed as he smirked slightly.

"Well…since it sounds like you'll still need my help, may as well go as well." The man crawled into the back of the truck with the others, laying Azusa out on one of the seats before he offered to take Yui from Mio's arms and he laid her out as well. "Going to need one of you that this one trusts to keep her from moving around too much, those burns are going to hurt if this truck goes over a big bump."

"I'll do it." Tsumugi said as she got up into the truck and sat down next to Azusa and wrapped her arms around her kouhai's still shaking body. She noticed the girl's garnet eyes were still focused worriedly on Yui's unconscious form, but as Tsumugi began to smooth out Azusa's hair the kouhai's eyes fluttered to a close to rest after the heart pounding event of their first panzer zombie.

"Manabe-san, I want you to come sit with me up front. I'll teach you how to read a sea map while we make our way to the docks." Sachi said as she walked to the driver's side of the truck and opened the door and got in while Nodoka took the passenger's seat.

Nodoka was very glad they had all made it out of the military camp in one piece, but it wasn't over yet. She still worried about what else was coming their way now that they finally saw the infamous Panzer.

* * *

Author Notes: There! You got your Panzer zombie! XD I had so much fun writing this chapter. All the action scenes were hard to write, but once I got in the mood after listening to The Escapist by Nightwish and a bunch of Godsmack songs I finally got the flow down so hopefully this will be a good read…and yes military people suck, they wanted to hurt our poor K-On girls! T_T Good thing Goro is awesome and lead a zombie attack on the outpost. XD Anyways, I hope this isn't too hectic, I hope it's a good read…I'm sorry if I messed something up. Remember I like advice so if I did something that seemed off, just tell me! *goes to work on Ui's story for her birthday*


	10. Final Run

Final Run

_She is running as fast as she can. She doesn't see where she's running, but all she knows is to get away from the growing darkness behind her._

_Her whole body is aching with a phantom pain while she feels like she is burning in fire, yet again, she doesn't see where any of this pain is coming from, after all, all she sees is black._

_It isn't much later after, that she sees many hands reach up from the ground to grab her ankles as she runs by. She trips and her chocolate panicked eyes widen as she looks down at the hands that are now grabbing her and holding her down._

_They are rotten hands, missing bits of flesh as well as some digits. Black blood dripping from wounds on those hands as they continue to hold her down even as she struggles so violently._

"_L-Let me go! H-Help me someone!"_

_But no one helps her, she can see flashes of her friends, disembodied, blooded, being eaten and torn apart right in front of her eyes._

_There's so much fear coursing through her as she witnesses her close friends being killed, then watches in horror as the military kills them off with their guns before being turned into the grotesque zombies as well. And this time they are focused on a new target._

_Her eyes widen when she notices a tiny girl standing in front of her, arms spread as if to protect her from the oncoming zombies._

"_A-Azusa…" She whimpers out after figuring out who it was._

_No, anything but her she thinks as she watches the zombies advance on the beloved kouhai._

"_Azusa! Run! Get away! Please!" She cries, but Azusa only turns her head slightly to take notice, giving her sempai a small sad, but knowing smile before the military zombies grab her and they sink their teeth into her flesh._

_She screams._

_It fills her heart with agony and pain as she watches that uniform become soaked in blood while Azusa's eyes become blank and lifeless._

"_NOOOOO!"_

Yui let out a strangled choking gasp as she began to claw frantically at her chest before she felt hands hold her down. She can feel sweat dripping down her face, neck, and upper chest as her ribs heave with each shallow and shaky breath she takes.  
"W-Whoa whoa Yui! Settle down!"

Yui's eyes dart to the source of the voice and a weight gets lifted off her chest as she sees Ritsu, she looks just fine, a bit worried looking, but not disembodied like the one in her fever dream. Her eyes continue to search the small enclosure before she notices Azusa lying on Tsumugi's lap, eyes shut tight and uniform burnt almost to literal ruins. She then notices the burns on her face, arms and what little of her sides that she can see. Panic begins to fill her once more.  
"A-Azusa…a-ah…A-Azusa!" Yui yelled out before she felt a larger hand keep her still.

"She's running a fever, must be one of the wounds…damnit."

"G-Goro c-can you help her?" Ui asked as she watched her sister's eyes begin to tear up.  
"I can try, let's see if we can find the source of the-"  
"G-Going to b-be si…s-sick." Yui mumbled out as she felt her stomach churn unpleasantly.

"What was that girl?"

"G….g-gonna be s-sick!"

"Oh! Uh, move!" Goro helped Yui to her knees and he opened the door and kept a firm hold on Yui as she voided her stomach onto the moving street below.

It was in this time that Yui realized the small room she had seen was actually the back of a moving truck and was most likely the cause of her sickness.

"Oh right, Yui-chan gets car sick…" Tsumugi mused as she and the others made a face and turned to not watch as Yui continued to be sick.

"Haha! You hurl like a champ girl!" Goro laughed as he patted the shaking girl on the back before offering her a water bottle as well as a rag to wipe her mouth with.

Yui's unfocused eyes glanced over the offered items before she quickly took the water, washed out her mouth, before using the rag to clean her lips of the bad taste.

"W-Where a-are we?" Yui asked finally after regaining most of her conscious mind.

"Well," Ritsu started, "We're about a few miles out from the docks, we made a slight detour so we can grab food supplies, then we'll be back on our way to get a boat and leave this place."

Yui nodded softly before she began to crawl on her hands and knees towards Tsumugi and Azusa. She could still easily feel the pain in her chest and shoulders, but her real worry was for her young lover.

"A-Azusa…?"  
"Oh Yui-chan…it's okay, she's not in any serious danger, but she is still a bit tender." Tsumugi whispered as she noticed the worried gaze.

"What happened to her…all I remember is hearing a roar…then that general taking off after her."  
"We saw our first Panzer, Yui." Mio stated causing the brunette to turn towards the bassist. "It… after it killed the general it went after Azusa. Goro set it on fire but it didn't stop." Mio said softly. "She and that thing fell into the explosives shed and the reason for the burns is because the place exploded with her in it… the only reason she survived without more sever wounds is because the Panzer's body protected her."

Yui nodded numbly as she felt Mio push her back down onto the floor.

"You need to rest some more, those wounds aren't getting any better with you moving around so much."

"Gomen ne…" Yui said softly as her eyes began to close once more.

"So you were saying Goro, about those pipe bombs you use…" Ritsu said as her grin started to widen after she was sure Yui was okay.

"Ah yes, funny you should ask," Goro said proudly as he pulled out one of the pipe bombs he had on him, "The way you can fashion one of these is actually very simple. All you need is a few wires, an eraser, and a button so you can push something to get it ignited inside the pipe. Also you need some type of… something that you can ignite like gun powder or something flammable."

Ritsu nodded as she took all this information to heart.

Mio was a little worried about how interested Ritsu was in pipe bomb making, but she couldn't be too upset, having another person that could make those useful little bombs would be helpful.

"But the main thing you need for this bomb to make it really work is something that makes a lot of noise…I usually choose a loud high pitch beep. I can show you how to make something small make that noise." Goro said happily, that crazed look back in his eyes, but it seemed that Ritsu didn't notice or was sharing the crazy tendencies.

"You'd… really teach me?" Ritsu asked, eyes wide with admiration.

"Sure! Here, let me take this one apart so you can see exactly how it's done…"

As Goro and Ritsu began talking a little more on pipe bomb making Mio decided to do something a little more productive with herself and she looked down at Yui before reaching out to unbutton her white shirt to see what damage had been done to their friend.

She wasn't too surprised to find multiple wounds reopened and bleeding, but what really worried her was the fact that two or three looked to have a sort of green pus forcing its way out.

"Mugi," Mio said firmly getting the blonde's attention, "I need you to hand me the medical kit behind you, I'm going to try to clean these wounds before Sachi-san looks at them."

"Oh, sure." Tsumugi said as she handed the kit to Mio.

Of course, Mio had a small knowledge of cleaning wounds, from what she had seen Sachi do, so when she pulled out the medication and put some on the white rag she couldn't help but nibble on her lower lip as she touched Yui's cheek caringly.

"Yui...? Are you still awake?" Mio asked.

She got a soft hum in response.

Mio understood that Yui must be a little out of it, and that would make cleaning the wounds a little easier on her. She knew the medicine would sting a little, but she didn't know exactly how much pain Yui was in. She just hoped that this wouldn't hurt too badly.

As Mio began to dab the wounds with the medicine soaked rag and snapped her hand back when Yui let out a rather soft whimper of pain.

"Mio-chan, you have to continue cleaning the wounds even if she reacts badly to it, it'll help ease the pain." Tsumugi stated as she watched Mio's nervous expression.

"I… I know, it's just hard when… she's so hurt."

The truck gave a jolt before slowly coming to a stop.

"Oh, we must already be at the stopping point. Guess that medic can take over for you, girl." Goro said as he looked directly at Mio, it seemed that he and Ritsu had been watching her for a while now and she began to blush deeply.

"I have a name, just so you know." Mio said irritably.

Before Goro could answer the back of the truck opened up and Sachi stepped in.

"Manabe-san and I have been talking while we were looking for a good place to get food supplies." She said as she stared at Goro. "I want you to lead the few people who can hold guns and hear into the store and grab as much as you can."

"Very well-"  
"And try not to blow anything up."  
"…You take the fun out of everything missy." Goro mumbled as he got up and grabbed one of the assault rifles before hopping out of the truck.

Sachi looked over everyone and nodded to herself.

"Kotobuki-san, Tainaka-san, Akiyama-san, and Hirasawa-san…you all need to go with Goro and Manabe-san."

Mio and Ritsu nodded before hopping out of the truck as well, but not without grabbing a gun for protection.

Tsumugi gently lifted Azusa's head off her lap and laid it down once she got up and she smiled sadly as the kouhai gave a soft groan of pain before becoming still once more.

"Take care of them for us, Sachi-san." Tsumugi said as she bowed her head and grabbed a gun before joining the others.

Ui gave Sachi a look of pain before she turned to Jun, who gave a reassuring smile, and hugged her tightly before grabbing the closest gun to her before hopping out of the truck as well.

Once they started walking off Sachi sat down near Yui and began to go to work on cleaning the wounds.

"Sachi-san?"

The medic looked up when she noticed Jun staring at her intently.  
"I can kind of hear a little better now…I mean it still sounds muffled, but… at least I can hear my own voice now."  
"Ah, that's progress, can you hear me?" Sachi asked as she tilted her head towards the young bassist.

Jun nodded before she turned her gaze to the rather painful looking wounds on Yui's shoulders and chest.  
"Uhm… what's that green stuff…?"

"…I honestly don't know. It's possible that the pouncer's claws infected the wounds, but it may be something else… I don't have the proper equipment to test the substance so…no way of telling for sure." Sachi replied as she grabbed a few stitches out of the medical kit beside her and grabbed a needle. Jun paled when she saw this and instantly turned away to look at the wall of the truck as Sachi began to stitch one of the wounds once it was clean.

"She's a brave girl, most people wouldn't be able to take this much pain without any real pain medications, but in all honesty she's doing very well." Sachi said as she heard Yui let out a hiss of pain before twitching slightly once Sachi started the stitching.

"Y…Y-Yeah… I guess so. U-Uhm… she had a fever dream earlier." Jun stated, trying hard to drowned out the sounds of pain coming from Yui's unconscious mouth.

"She is a bit warm, I'll need to give her some more pills here…"

"…nngh…" Both Jun and Sachi turned to Azusa, who gave a soft groan, before those garnet orbs slowly opened to stare lazily around the slightly large space.

"How are you feeling, Nakano-san?" Sachi asked as her piecing sky blue eyes stared into unfocused garnet.

Azusa took a deep breath before gritting her teeth in pain as she slowly sat up. The burns hurt, but she could bare them if Yui could take her pain.

Suddenly, Azusa became panicked.

"Y-Yui!" The girl quickly got down on her knees near her wounded girlfriend and looked at the wounds and couldn't help but whimper at how painful they looked.

"Calm down, she'll be fine."  
"You keep saying that, but honestly those wounds…" Jun whispered as she looked at Azusa's worried expression.

"Can you do me a favor Suzuki-san?" Sachi asked as Jun looked back at her. "I found this button up shirt in the front seat…I need you to put this medication on Nakano's burns and wrap her up for me, then put the new shirt on her. That shirt she has on now is…completely useless."

Azusa glared at Jun as she came close, but slowly Azusa allowed her friend to take off the ruined shirt before she began to rub the medication on the burns.

Azusa hissed out before she clutched her skirt and tried harder to ignore the pain from the simple touch to the sensitive skin.

"I know it hurts Nakano-san, but it'll make them less painful." Sachi said while she began to wrap Yui's wounds.

"O-Okay…w-will she be okay?" Azusa asked as she felt Jun lift her arm and began to wrap it up.

"Hopefully, in time. Is that a better answer Suzuki-san?" Sachi asked.

"Yes." Jun stated firmly as she frowned a little while bandaging up her friend.

* * *

As the scavenger group walked into the supermarket to find food, Goro turned and grinned at the girls before crossing his arms. He couldn't wait to see what type of zombies were hiding out in the market.

"Okay, split up in pairs…I guess you can come with me little one." Goro said as he patted Ui softly on the head, making her finch reflexively.

"Okay, be good to her, Yui will kill you if anything happens to her." Ritsu said as she motioned Mio towards the left side of the supermarket.

"Hey, Ritsu, Mio!" Nodoka called out making the two girls stop. "Find only nonperishable food. We don't need anything that can go bad while we are out at sea."

Ritsu nodded and began to walk once more while Mio followed, those sharp stormy grey eyes darting around the market as she kept and eye on Ritsu's back.

"We'll me back here in the middle once we got everything, okay Goro?" Nodoka asked as she couldn't help but look over at Ui, seeing the girl quivering in fear while holding the gun she had close.

"Sure, don't die!" Goro yelled as he turned to walk down the opposite direction of Ritsu and Mio as he gave Ui's back a reassuring pat as she turned to walk with him.

"Shall we?" Tsumugi asked, breaking Nodoka out of her stare.

"Oh… right, let's go." She and Tsumugi turned to walk down the middle aisle and Nodoka grabbed a cart as they passed one so they could use it to carry the food they find.

* * *

"Do you think Ui-chan will be okay?" Ritsu asked as she began picking out random food items while Mio kept turning every direction, aiming her gun at anything that moved, or that she thought moved. "Will you calm down, you're being a little too paranoi-"  
"Don't say that Ritsu… I'm just being cautious…" Mio whispered as she turned to look at her girlfriend sadly. "I… just don't want you to get hurt again, especially not like Yui… or Azusa."

Ritsu instantly felt bad for teasing Mio and slowly walked over to her and offered her a hug.

"I'm sorry…I guess I'm still a little too use to teasing you…come here. Let me give you a hug and a kiss."

"Baka, not now… we have things to get." Mio said as she playfully pushed her hand into Ritsu's face nearly pushing her over as she continued walking down the aisle.

"Gah, you jerk." Ritsu said a she quickly caught up with Mio and started watching her back as her childhood friend began to gather up some more food.

"We should have gotten a cart." Mio said as she bent down to look at a box.

"I'll go grab us one." Ritsu replied as she jogged over to the closest one. As she reached out to grab the handle she instantly retracted the hand when she noticed blood dripping from it.

It looked fresh too.

Ritsu swallowed hard as her eyes tried to look for the source, golden brown darting every direction before she felt something hit her cheek. She gave a rather indignant shriek before pointing her gun upwards.

"What's wrong! What is it Ritsu?" Mio yelled out as she ran over to her girlfriend quickly. She noticed Ritsu looking up at the ceiling and slowly Mio's eyes drifted upwards.

She felt her throat tighten and hand quickly covered her mouth before she could let loose with an earth shattering scream.

"Don't you dare scream Mio… please for the love of all things holy… Do. Not. Scream." Ritsu said softly even though her voice shook with fear. Mio nodded numbly while her wide eyes looked at the ceiling.

There were bodies hanging from what looked like spikes that had been rammed into them, the spikes themselves looked like bone and were jagged and just the right length to go completely through a full grown person and pin them into the ceiling. But how they made it on the ceiling was beyond either of the girls.

"W-We have to get the food and get out of here fast." Ritsu said once more as she grabbed a different cart and put her food items into it while Mio did the same before they began to push towards the entrance.

* * *

"Okay, I think we have enough. Let's head back to the entrance." Nodoka said as she looked proudly at all the food she and Tsumugi had collected. It wasn't a bad trip either, they hadn't run into any zombies and by the sound of how quite it was in the market, she could tell the others hadn't run into anything yet either.

"This was surprisingly easier then what we've had to deal with recently." Tsumugi said as she started pushing the cart down the aisle.

"Yeah, but I don't want to jinx us… so I didn't want to say anything…"  
"O-Oh, do you think I did?" Tsumugi asked worriedly.

Nodoka smiled a little and shook her head.

"I don't think so… we would have heard something by now." The two girls got to the entrance of the market just about the time Ritsu and Mio came jogging up completely out of breath.

"That didn't take you two lo-"  
"Nodoka! W-We have to get out of here, is there any way you can get Goro and Ui to come back?" Ritsu asked quickly, voice still laced with fear.

Nodoka began to frown.

"What's wrong?" Nodoka asked as she felt a sense of dread overtake her being.

"W-We saw something… I mean, we didn't see any zombies, but we saw… it looked like… some sort of battle happened recently… there were bodies hanging from the ceiling… w-we don't know how they got there." Mio panted out as she tried to calm her breathing down.

"Bodies?" Tsumugi looked up from where they were standing she could easily see the bloody mess and her eyes went wide as she turned to look at Nodoka who was now just as worried.

* * *

Ui watched as Goro filled up a second cart with food as she kept a watchful eye out on their area. She didn't like being alone with the man, after all he was unpredictable; she didn't know just how in danger she was with him. As her worried and fearful eyes looked around she nearly screamed when Goro put a hand on her shoulder, but she swallowed it and just squeaked softly as she turned to look at him. That crazed look was back and it caused her to wiggle out of his grasp.

"What?" Goro asked as he tilted his head much like a puppy.

"N-Nothing… just don't like being… touched." Ui mumbled as she began to look around once more. "I-I think we g-got enough Goro-san."

"Ah, yes I believe we do…let's get going then." Goro turned around with the carts in each hand and began to push them down the aisle while Ui turned and walked backwards, keeping an eye on the back of the store while still following the scary man.

She didn't really understand him, didn't understand why she was so afraid of him, especially after he saved them twice and even saved her sister's life. But something kept nagging at her not to trust him.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice the dripping blood trail that was following her footsteps ever so slowly.

Ui suddenly snapped out of her thoughts when Goro quickly turned and stared at her, his eyes were now sharp and angry looking. It caused fear to fill her as she stopped in her tracks and began to shake under the stare.

"W-What?" She asked in a soft scared voice.

He quickly reached out and grabbed her arm tightly, causing her to scream in fear before she felt him yank her away from the spot she was standing in. Right as Ui's feet left the ground she could hear a loud shriek behind her where she use to be standing and then the sound of something sharp and jagged hitting the floor hard.

When she was placed back on the ground she heard Goro make a rather disgruntled noise before something began thrashing against his large form.  
"L-Little fucker!" The man yelled harshly as Ui turned around to see what was going on, she let out a startled gasp when she noticed a rather disgusting looking zombie struggling with Goro. It had spikes sticking out of its body and it was trying to impale itself onto the large man. Ui then noticed those spikes weren't normal spikes, they were bone, not only that but it seemed to have gotten Goro through the arm. It had gone straight through the muscle and was sticking out of his jacket sleeve.

Ui felt sick just looking at it.

"Run girl!" Goro yelled out as Ui noticed two more of those spiky zombies began rushing towards them.

"B-But…"  
"GO!"

Ui quickly turned on her heels and began to run as fast as she could towards the entrance. She could hear Goro struggling with the zombie that already had him pinned, but then she heard a gunshot followed by a deathly scream of agony that wasn't from Goro.

Ui was tempted to turn, but she heard Goro yell out to her again, this time it sounded close to a 'watch out' and she didn't know why until she felt something sharp pierce her leg.

Searing pain traveled up her leg and into her back as she felt her legs give out and she cried out pitifully as she tumbled to the ground. She quickly reached down to grab the source of the pain.

To her great surprise and disgust she found one of the smaller spikes from the zombie had actually shot from its dead body, stabbing her in the thigh. Ui didn't know whether to pull it out or keep it in, but she did know that the other two zombies were now just centimeters away from her, jaws open, ready for the best meal they've had all day.

But another shot rang out and a spray of blood spewed from the back of one of the zombies and it flopped over lifelessly while the other gurgled out as a knife stabbed it through the back.

Goro was up once more, but he had a few of those spikes sticking out of his body, one in left his arm, two in his left leg, and another one in his upper right arm.

He instantly reached down and picked Ui up in his arms and grabbed the carts before limping towards the entrance.

Ui was both amazed and worried at the same time all while pain coursed up and down her leg from the spike that was in it.

She couldn't believe the raw power Goro had to be able to stand being stuck with so many of those spikes, and also managed to save her life as well.

"G-Goro… a-ah… I'm sorry I… w-was so afraid of you." Ui whispered as she winced slightly.

"Don't even think on it, let's get out of here, doubt Medic lady is going to be pleased with this." Goro murmured as he pushed the cart along.

"Goro! Ui!"

Nodoka ran up to the two of them while Tsumugi, Ritsu, and Mio all gave collective sounds of worry and disgust when they saw the spikes.  
"Ui-chan!" Tsumugi yelled out as she ran over right as Nodoka took the younger girl into her arms while Goro stumbled over. Ritsu and Mio were at his side in an instant and they helped the man back on his feet while keeping their arms around him so he wouldn't fall over again.

"What happened?" Nodoka asked as Ui instantly wrapped her arms around her neck.

"T-There were… a-ah…zombies that we… were full of spikes… nuh… N-Nodoka-san! It hurts!" Ui yelled out as she buried herself into her older friend's arms.  
"Don't worry Ui… Mugi-san, do you think you can get the carts of food and roll them out while we help these two to the truck?" Nodoka asked as she held Ui tightly.

Tsumugi nodded as she quickly grabbed the carts and began to push them out to the entrance while Ritsu and Mio helped Goro along.  
"You're a little heavier then you look, Goro." Ritsu groaned out as they made their way back to the truck.

* * *

Jun sighed softly as she looked out at the wasteland that was now their city. It was very unnerving to see it so quite and lifeless. She saddened a little when she realized she would never get to see her family again, but they would have wanted her to survive. Jun had to keep pressing on. Plus, she now had someone to look out for. She smiled bashfully as a blush made it's way on her cheeks.

_I can't believe Ui actually likes me too… I was so worried that she wouldn't that I never made a move on her... but now…_

All thought process stopped when she heard a muffled sob of pain followed by reassurance and someone being carried.

Jun jumped out of the truck and looked towards the market and her violet eyes widened.

"Ui!" Jun yelled out as she quickly ran over to Nodoka, who was still carrying Ui as quickly as possibly, followed by Ritsu and Mio, who were carrying Goro.

"What happened to her-"  
"Not right now Jun-chan, I have to get her to Sachi-san!" Nodoka yelled, startling Jun for a moment before she watched the group make their way into the back of the truck.

"Uhm, Jun-chan, could you help me with these while they get Goro-san and Ui-chan fixed up?" Tsumugi asked, breaking Jun out of her worried trance.

"… Okay." Jun whispered sadly as she grabbed a few of the carts and pushed them over to the truck.

"Kami-sama, what the hell happened?" Sachi asked as she and Azusa instantly looked up.  
"Oh no, Ui…" Azusa whispered as she watched Nodoka place the girl down near her sister.

"She's not the only one…" Nodoka said as Ritsu and Mio helped Goro into the truck.

"Heeeey, Medic, looky at me… I feel like a pincushion." Goro mumbled incoherently as he flopped down onto the truck floor trapping Ritsu and Mio under his great weight.

"A-Ack, o-oi! Can't breath g-geoff!" Ritsu yelled out while Mio quickly wormed her way out from under the man before helping Ritsu.

"You people are really making this hard on me." Sachi said as she sat Goro up against one of the ammo boxes and began looking at the spikes.

"Manabe-san, this will be good practice for you." Sachi started causing Nodoka to look up with wide eyes.

"What?"

"I need you to pull that spike out of Hirasawa-san's leg and clean it then bandage it." Sachi stated as she began to wrap a hand around one of the spikes in Goro. "Watch how I do it, it has to be in one swift motion-" The field medic tugged the spike sharply making Goro yell out in pain.  
"Argh! Woman! That hurts!"

"Shut up you big baby." Sachi hissed as she narrowed her eyes at him before pressing a rag to the wound. "Now, after you put the spike out, hold a rag against it for twenty seconds before bandaging it."

"H-Hai…" Nodoka whispered as she turned to Ui, her friend's sister was sobbing softly while trying not to look at the spike. "Ui…I-I'm going to pull it out now okay?" Nodoka said softly as she grabbed the spike tightly. She noticed Ui tense up and started shaking her head firmly.

"I… I can't do it! D-Don't touch it, p-please." Ui cried out when she felt the pressure change from Nodoka grabbing the spike.

"Ui, I have to do this…"

"… U-Ui…"

Nodoka quickly turned and looked down at Yui, the girl looked out of it, but her chocolate eyes were focused on Ui.

"D-Don't worry…you'll feel better after." Yui mumbled softly. She was trying to comfort her younger sister even though she was completely out of her from pain medications. It touched not only Nodoka's heart, but Ui's as well. The young Hirasawa sniffled softly as tears began to course down her cheeks.  
"O-Onee-chan…"  
"Here, let me help."

Nodoka blinked a couple of times when Jun sat down behind Ui and slowly wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"Don't look at it Ui, look at me instead…" Jun whispered as she pushed Ui's face against the crook of her neck and then turned those intense violet eyes onto Nodoka. "Do it now."

The glasses wearing girl nodded and grabbed the spike once more before closing her eyes tightly and giving a sharp tug.

She heard Ui give a cry of pain as the spike was removed and then Nodoka felt a rag get pushed into her hand so she could press it firmly against the now open wound. She could vaguely hear Jun mumbling soft words of encouragement while holding Ui tightly, the poor Hirasawa's face was scrunched up in pain as her hands clutched tightly onto Jun's uniform.

Soon though Nodoka finally got the wound wrapped and she sat back while Sachi gave the bandage job a look over, she had finished with Goro's wounds pretty fast so all she had to do was make sure Nodoka made sure the bleeding had stopped.

"Very good Manabe-san. Do you want some pain pills Hirasawa-san?" Sachi asked tenderly, feeling bad for the young girl, but as Ui shook her head and buried herself closer to Jun she got up and looked over at Ritsu, Mio, and Tsumugi and noticed the girls had stored all the food in the truck already.

"Well, looks like we're ready to go then." Sachi whispered as she jumped out of the truck. Nodoka followed and looked back at her friends, taking in their exhausted and worried looks. They all knew it was getting worse, most of them were now wounded, they couldn't keep going like this, they had to stop. But Nodoka knew they were almost out. They just had to survive the last few miles to the docks.

"Manabe-san, I want you to listen closely to what I say, because you may need to drive the ship by yourself… so will you be able to retain this information that I give you on how to steer and navigate a ship?"

Nodoka stared ahead, eyes narrowed in concentration before she gave a firm nod.

"Yes."

* * *

"Yui?" Azusa whispered softly when she noticed her girlfriend's eyes trying to stay open. She slowly placed a hand on the brunette's forehead causing those chocolate eyes to dart to her quickly before she began to smile a little.

"Azusa… I was worried about you." Yui said softly. "A-Are you okay?"

"Yeah… I'll be fine Yui. I'm worried about you though… how's those… cuts feeling?" Azusa asked as she stared at the bandages that now wrapped around Yui's upper chest, shoulders and down her arm.

Yui followed the gaze and reached up to cup Azusa's cheek with her uninjured hand and gave her a reassuring smile.  
"I… think those pills… Sachi-san gave me… is numbing the pain. So, for now, I can't feel anything."

Azusa nodded and leaned down to give Yui a gentle kiss, holding it for a few seconds before feeling Yui kiss back.

She sighed softly before pulling back slightly so garnet and chocolate eyes could stare into each other.

"I… honestly thought I'd never get to do that again." Azusa whispered, trying not to pull too much attention to her and Yui.

"M-Me too." Yui said as she smiled a little. "I'm tired Azusa… I think I'm going to sleep a little more."

"Sure, here… you can use my lap." Azusa said as she shifted behind Yui's head and lifted it up before allowing her lover to recline against her legs.

"T-Thank you Azusa." Yui purred out as she began to rest once more, those eyes closing slowly as the truck began to move.

* * *

It didn't take much time to get to the docks and it took even less time to find a decent boat that was still able to function. They had found a small ship that was able to hold all eight of the, plus two more, if they wanted. Not only that it had a room full of bunks they could use as well as a storage room for the food and weapons they had.

Once they got all the wounded on board Nodoka and Sachi walked off and stood on the docks, the medic was scanning the area trying to find the control tower from where they were.

"Sachi-san… a-are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Nodoka asked once more, she was worried about everyone, but not only that, what would happen to the field medic once they left?

Sachi took a deep inhale of breath before letting it out slowly. She turned to Nodoka and gave her a small smile before putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Manabe-san… you really want me to go with you, even after I frustrated you so much?"

"Yes, your knowledge of the medicines is very helpful, you're calm and collected, you're a much better leader then I… was." Nodoka said softly as she reached up to rub the back of her neck nervously.

"… Well I guess I could go with you. What's the harm in that?" Sachi said softly. "But, we have to get the sea map first, I still don't know where that island is."  
"Okay… uhm isn't that the control tower over there?" Nodoka asked while pointing towards what looked like a small watchtower off a mile away.

"Ah yes, good eye Manabe-san, shall we?" Sachi asked as she began to walk towards the tower.  
"A-Ah, sure." Nodoka quickly caught up to the medic, gun in hand as she glanced around. There were a few zombies wondering about, but none of them seemed too interested in them for the moment.

Nodoka hoped that Ritsu and Mio would be able to handle protecting the ship from a rush if there was one. She quickly shook her head of the though.

No, Goro was with them, even if he was hurt he could still put up a fight. Nodoka seemed to relax with that thought as they finally reached the tower and they began to climb the ladder up to the computer room.

"It's been a while since I hacked a computer, hopefully this shouldn't be too long." Sachi said as she pushed the door open.

A body came tumbling out of the opening causing Sachi to gasp and Nodoka to almost scream as it landed on her, almost making her lose her grip on the ladder before Sachi kicked it off the younger girl.

Nodoka was now shaky and wide eyed as she watched the body tumble down the ladder before coming to a still on the ground.

"You okay?" Sachi asked as she reached out to grab Nodoka's hand as the girl quickly got into the room with the medic.

"Y-yeah, just shaken." Nodoka replied as she sat down on the floor to catch her breath.

"Poor guy must have died up here… anyway, let's see." Sachi mumbled as she began to type furiously on one of the computers. Nodoka began to get curious and she decided to look over the medic's shoulder and watched in fascination at all the numbers and letters just zooming by as Sachi typed.

"Curious to how to hack a computer? Or just watching?"

"Watching, sorry, if it bothers you I'll go keep watch for any rushes." Nodoka said as she tried to take her eyes of the screen.

"You can watch me if you like, but it would probably be better for you to watch for a rush."

"A-Ah, right." The dark violet haired girl started to look out the windows of the control tower, trying to see if she could easily see everywhere. She could see pretty far, but since the tower wasn't that high up she couldn't see everything, but it was good enough.

"Ah ha." Sachi said happily before the printer next to the computer turned on and began to print something. "I got it, the map. And it looks like there is an island not too far off. We should be able to get there in a day and a half."

"Really? That's great!" Nodoka said as she began to smile. They were finally going to be safe; they were finally going to be away from all this chaos. She was about to say more when a sudden alarm began blaring throughout the entire dock area.

After covering her ears with her hands Nodoka looked over at Sachi who was frantically trying to stop it.  
"Fuck fuck fuck! No! Stupid piece of jun-"  
A roar of thousands of undead could easily be heard all around and Sachi quickly opened the hatch to the ladder and began to climb down.

"What happened? Why is the alarm going off?" Nodoka yelled over the loud annoying sound.

"Security protocol! I can't stop it!"

"What!"

As they quickly got down the ladder and began to sprint across the docks towards the ship Nodoka could almost feel the boards shaking with how many zombies were running towards them.

* * *

"What the? Why is that alarm going off?" Mio asked as she covered her ears while Ritsu began looking around frantically.

"I don't know, I hope Nodoka and Sachi-san are okay-" She was cut off by the loud roar of the zombies before both her and Mio looked at each other with fear. "I'll go get us some guns!" Ritsu yelled out as she began to run to the storage room while Goro stumbled out with a pipe bomb in hand.

"Quickly girl! I'll help hold them off as long as possible." The large man said as he stepped off the ship and onto the docks. His sharp crazed eyes catch the sight of Nodoka and Sachi running back, but behind them a mile back was the largest rush of zombies he had ever seen.

He laughed loudly.

"Finally! Something I can burn!"

Sachi stopped at Goro's side and grabbed Nodoka's arm as she ran by.

"Take this map and get out of here."  
"W-What? With out you? No!" Nodoka yelled as Goro threw three pipe bombs towards the rush, laughing manically as he took out a large portion of the rush.

"You have to! Someone needs to stay back to protect the ship, now go! That's an order!" Sachi yelled furiously as she shoved the map into Nodoka's shaky hand. "Just remember, if nothing else, just follow the map; get everyone to safety, my life is less important then yours."

The girl gave a cry of agony as she quickly turned and ran onto the boat.

"What are they doing?" Mio asked as Nodoka ran by.

"Goro-san? Sachi-san? Why are they doing this!" Tsumugi yelled as she grabbed one of the guns Ritsu brought up to help give the two adults cover along with Mio.

Nodoka didn't stop running though; she had to start up the boat. If she didn't, they would all die.

She quickly got to the main room with the steering computer and began to push in the coordinates like she was told.

Jun ran up after hearing the soft alarm noise in her still recovering ears and gasped when she noticed the battle going on outside. Ritsu, Tsumugi, and Mio were all trying to hold off the zombies while Goro and Sachi stood on the docks, keeping the zombies from actually getting near the ship.

"No way…" Jun mumbled as she felt Ui limp up behind her.  
"J-Jun-chan we have to h-help." Ui said firmly as she began to walk towards the pile of guns.

Jun wanted to stop her, but she knew they needed the firepower.

"Okay!" Jun yelled firmly as she grabbed a gun and began to shoot the zombies that got close to the ship.

As Goro threw another pipe bomb he couldn't help but laugh loudly as a couple of zombies screamed in pain.

"What are you doing Medic, get on that boat with them!" He yelled through his laughter. "I'm expendable! I'm already hurt, they can try to kill me but I'll burn them, so go!"

"No, are you joking? I knew this would happen if I helped those girls… it was inevitable." Sachi said firmly as she shot and killed a few zombies herself.

Goro seemed to frown at this before he pulled out two moltovs.

"Then, don't scream when the fire burns you…in fact, new rule, you have to laugh."

"What? You really are crazy aren't you?"

"I'd rather die laughing then die screaming, wouldn't you?"

Sachi seemed stunned by this logic, but slowly she nodded before starting to shoot again as Goro threw the moltovs over their heads and onto the dock ahead of them, cutting off the path to the ship rather easily.

"Ha! Try to get passed that!" Ritsu yelled out as she smiled brightly. That smile was soon wiped off her face when she heard three loud, unearthly roars. "Oh no…"  
Through the fire, charging down the docks, were three panzers. Mio blanched, Tsumugi gasped, Jun and Ui nearly screamed.

"Goro-san! Sachi-san! Hurry, get on!" Rtisu yelled helplessly.

Sachi shook her head and turned slightly to give the girls a small sad smile while Goro began laughing once more, getting out another moltov.

"Laughing huh?... I guess I can try that." Sachi said as she got out some more ammo for her gun and put it in quickly before shooting several times at the panzers charging their way, while laughing out as well.

Neither of them noticed the fire eating away at the lower supports of the docks, nor did they notice the great weight of three panzers was easily snapping them as they ran by.

They didn't notice that was, until the boards gave way from underneath Sachi and Goro causing the two adults to tumble down right as the three panzers got to them. Fire engulfed the area where they were and Ritsu, Mio, and Tsumugi could only look on, unable to do anything but scream as the ship gave a might jolt and began to move.

Jun could feel tears in her eyes as she tried to look for any sign of life through the fire. Anything that would say the two veterans were still alive, however, when nothing moved she gave a soft sob as Ui clung to her, burying her face into her neck as she began to cry too.

"W-we're… really on our own now… aren't we?" Tsumugi asked as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Y-yeah… I guess w-we are." Ritsu sobbed out as she dropped to her knees, followed by Mio as the raven haired girl wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, trying to comfort her as well as keep her own tears at bay.

Down below the deck, Azusa and Yui were laying on one of the bunk beds they had found, the young twin tailed girl holding the brunette tightly as they both felt the ship begin to move.

Azusa's eyes opened up and she looked into the messy brown hair of her lover before hugging her closer while nuzzling her firmly. Yui had passed out once more, too tired to continue staying awake.

She really did worry about her girlfriend and hoped she would get better soon. They were both unaware of what had happened outside. But somehow, as Azusa's eyes began to close, she felt a growing dread in her chest as she too passed out from pure exhaustion.

In the control room of the ship, Nodoka cried silently, she knew what had happened, and there was nothing she could do to fix it. She swallowed hard as she stared at the map Sachi had given her.

_If nothing else, just follow the map; get everyone to safety, my life is less important compared to yours._

Nodoka remembered Sachi saying once while they were driving the truck.

"But… w-why is my life more important… Sachi-san… t-thank you." Nodoka whispered as her dark brown eyes stared ahead; she would make sure they all survived this, somehow. They were almost home free now. All they had to do was continue this path to the island.

* * *

Author Notes: And that… is Arc one. Man I have some many things planned for the next arc that I am super excited to write! People will get their wish for seeing a "witch" like zombie… so be patient. It's coming. Thank you guys for sticking around this long and enjoying the ride. Also need to thank my beta-reader for putting up with my epic typos and stuff like that. She really is amazing. ^_^ Anyways! Look for the next arc here in a bit~!

Beta note: The witch like zombie is my creation/child. Take good care of it~


	11. Lost

Lost

It had only been a few hours since they officially left the shores of Japan. Only a few hours after they had witnessed the only two people that helped them, die horribly. Each one of the girls felt so much after the first few days of the apocalypse and already they were very tired of it.

Tsumugi had left the others to keep Nodoka company as the girl steered the ship towards its destination. The poor Ojou-sama was mentally and physically exhausted, so Nodoka suggested the girl sleep for a while. Unable to refuse the request, Tsumugi laid down near the dark violet haired girl and quickly drifted to sleep.

Ritsu and Mio on the other hand, were both too distraught to really talk much so the drummer began practicing making pipe bombs while Mio rested her head against her shoulder.

Mio was a bit worried about Ritsu. Ever since the incident, the golden haired girl refused to talk as she just busied herself with learning how to make the perfect pipe bomb. Mio figured it was a way to cope with the loss of someone that had saved their lives, so she did nothing but watch as Ritsu strung some wires together before she finally finished a small version of a pipe bomb.

"That looks good Ritsu." Mio said as she slowly put an arm around the shorter girl's waist.

"Thanks. I couldn't find a bigger pipe, so I just improvised… maybe this can be a cherry bomb…" Ritsu said as she leaned her head back against the wooden railing as she listened to the harsh sea. "How're you doing Mio?"

"… Okay I guess. I feel numb…"  
"Probably in shock… or just losing the ability to feel remorse-"  
"No! I… I know I'm not losing that… I just feel too tired to… grieve properly." Mio said as she buried her face into Ritsu's shoulder. "I know I asked this before, but I need to hear it again… what's our chances of survival now that Sachi-san and Goro-san are gone?"

Ritsu couldn't answer. She tried, but all that came out was a rough sounding squeak. She closed her eyes tightly and put an arm around Mio's shoulders and hugged her tightly before kissing her forehead.

"I love you Ritsu…" Mio said suddenly, tears finally appearing in those stormy grey eyes.

"I love you too Mio." Ritsu replied as she leaned against her girlfriend and slowly the two of them closed their eyes; too exhausted to do much else than cuddle.

* * *

Jun and Ui had made their way down into another room that was supposed to be another storage room, but the two of them had improvised a little and made it into their own private room so they could rest and talk to each other without the others hearing. Not that they cared, but they needed some privacy even if it was for a little bit to talk about their feelings and what had happened that day.

As Ui sat on the bunk they had dragged into the room Jun took a seat next to her and gently placed her hand on the bandage on Ui's thigh.

"Does it hurt?" Jun asked as she looked over the brunette sadly. She knew Ui was just as exhausted as everyone else. Hell, even she was about ready to pass out, but she had to make sure Ui was okay first.

"Yes, but it's nothing… after what happened I haven't been able to feel much…" Ui admitted sadly as she leaned against Jun a little. "I'm really tired of all this… I want it to end…"

"Unfortunately for us… the end is either us dying or us turning." Jun mumbled softly. She instantly regretted it when Ui snapped away from her and gave her a harsh look; a look she had never seen before.

"Don't say that. I may be sick of this… but I don't want us to die." Ui said firmly as she felt tears finally work their way back into her eyes. "I… I just wish things c-could go back to normal…"  
"Ui… I'm so sorry." Jun whispered as she wrapped her arms around the young girl and held her close while the brunette pushed her face into Jun's neck and gave a soft sob while clutching the sheets of the bunk tightly.

But what she said was true.

Even if the Hirasawa sisters got back to their parents, there was the possibility that their parents aren't immune and they would just end up killing them slowly anyway. Jun knew that thought alone most likely caused Ui a great deal of pain. After all, even though she lost her parents already, she at least had the comfort of knowing they were gone instead of never being able to see them again, even though they are alive somewhere.

Maybe.

Jun didn't know how far the infection spread, but she hoped that Ui's parents were okay. Soon she felt Ui give a groan as she pulled away.

"I'm tired." Ui whispered.

"Yeah… me too. Let's rest. Who knows how long it'll be before we reach land. I don't exactly think Nodoka-senpai is up to talking at the moment." Jun said as she laid back and opened her arms for the brunette.  
Ui nodded a little before she settled into the arms and closed her eyes while Jun did the same.

* * *

Nodoka made sure the boat would stay on course by setting it to automatic steering before she looked down at Tsumugi's sleeping form. She slowly knelt down beside the blonde and slowly allowed her fingers to trail in that messy hair a little before she saddened.

_I don't think we're meant to survive this. It's a horrible truth, but I wonder how the others feel about this...? I wonder how you feel about this._ Nodoka thought as she narrowed her dark brown eyes in sadness towards Tsumugi. She looked around slowly before leaning in, lips coming within inches from Tsumugi's lips, but she changed her mind at the last second and quickly placed a short nervous kiss on her forehead.

… _I've never been good with expressing myself. Not like I have to start now. But thank you Mugi-san… for helping me when you could._ Nodoka got up and decided on checking on the others before going back to steering.

* * *

Azusa groaned softly as she felt Yui twist and turn in her grasp almost violently. Slowly the twin tailed girl got up on her arms and looked down at the innocent face twisted with pain and agony in her sleep as she began thrashing about.  
"S-Shhh shh… Yui… it's okay." Azusa whispered as she quickly tightened her grip on her sempai and began to hug her and stroke her hair to calm her down. She didn't want the brunette tearing another one of her wounds. Finally the thrashing seemed to die down and slowly Yui's eyes opened and they quickly darted to Azusa and relief washed over her features once more.

"Azusa… I think I should stop sleeping." Yui mumbled softly as she reached up to slide a hand through the messy black hair. "I keep having nightmares… I've never had nightmares before."  
"They're probably fever dreams Yui." Azusa replied as she pushed her forehead against Yui's, feeling heat coming off the skin. "You are running a bit of a fever…"

"Ah… I see." Yui said as she slowly wrapped both arms around Azusa's waist and buried herself deep in the embrace. "I-I'm sorry I'm so tired… all the time now."  
"No…" Azusa whispered as she buried her face into the brunette's hair. "You're recovering, that's all that matters to me. As long as you recover and become your healthy self once more. I'll be happy." Azusa said as she smiled a little, feeling Yui nod against her.

"…Mm… I'll do that then… g-get better for you…" Yui whispered as she began to fall asleep once more. Azusa smiled as the airhead fell into a deep sleep and she slowly wiggled her way out of the grasp.

"You sleep… I need to go see Sachi-san about getting more medicine for you… and me." Azusa said as she began to scratch one of the bandages, the burns weren't as bad, but they were beginning to itch. She slowly put her feet down on the ground and…

Why was it so wet on the ground?

Azusa quickly looked down and noticed there was about an inch of water covering the floor of the ship and her eyes went wide.

_Oh no._ Azusa quickly got out of the bunkroom and began looking around; trying to find someone she could talk to. Her legs still ached from all the running she did earlier, but this was a matter of great importance.

"Sachi-san! Goro-san! Nodoka-san!" Azusa yelled out as she began to run up the stairs to the deck. She instantly bumped into someone and they grabbed her shoulders tightly to keep her from falling over before her garnet eyes opened to see Nodoka looking very worried.

"What's wrong Azusa-chan?" Nodoka asked.

"The lower deck! There's water! I think we've got a leak somewhere."  
"What! No, that… can't be right." Nodoka whispered as the wind began to pick up. Azusa noticed the girl frown even harder as she looked up at the ever-darkening sky. "Azusa-chan, go tell Mugi-san, then tell Ritsu and Mio."  
"H-Hai, what about Sach-san and-" Azusa stopped when she noticed Nodoka's eyes become hard.

"Just do what I said. Hurry. I'll go look for the break." Nodoka said firmly as she quickly disappeared down below.

Azusa briefly wondered what was going on before she finally realized that Sachi and Goro didn't make it. Fear began to work its way into her system before she quickly tore off to tell her senpai what was happening.

As Nodoka wadded through the inch deep water, she began checking each room for any signs of tension or a leak. She could feel her heart racing as she checked each room; she didn't know what she was going to find.

A large gash?

A small fixable leak?

Knowing how their luck has been so far it was probably big considering the still rising water levels. She was fairly certain a storm was brewing as well, which didn't help the situation at all.

Finally she came to the engine room. She could hear the sound of water rushing somewhere within, but she couldn't help but notice how dark it was in the room. Sure there was a nice dark red light somewhere which bathed the room in an ominous blood red glow, but that didn't help Nodoka's vision at all.

She pulled out a flashlight Sachi had given her prior and began to look at the walls for the break. As she slowly walked towards the sound, she couldn't help but notice something.

There were small pieces of wood floating in the water.

Like something had busted.

Nodoka was so focused on the ground she didn't even notice she was in danger until she felt hot breath on the back of her neck.

She stood perfectly still, eyes wide with fear as she heard a soft growl from above her.

Ever so slowly, Nodoka looked up a little, eyes following the large cracks in the wall she was staring at before she saw the cause of the leak.

Before she could even process what she saw a large hand grabbed her around the waist and the thing roared into her face, giving her a blast of rotten air as she let out a scream.

"Nodoka! What's wr-HOLY SHIT!" Ritsu yelled as she quickly grabbed the gun at her waist and she began firing on what she saw.

There was a Panzer half way stuck in the side of the boat, one arm all the way through gripping a struggling Nodoka as it now roared again in pain as Ritsu began shooting it in the face, trying to get it to release her friend.

"Ritsu! Shoot its hand!" Nodoka yelled as the panzer raised her up and slammed her down on the wet floor, making her smack her head on the wood and the air to get knocked out of her very easily. She let out a choking gasp as the zombie repeated its attack, spots were now appearing in Nodoka's vision with each strike to her back and the back of her head.

"S-Shoot its hand!" Nodoka yelled out once more, this time Ritsu actually heard her over the gunshots and roars of the panzer and she quickly aimed at the hand. She waited until the panzer pulled Nodoka up into the air once more before she fired.

She thankfully didn't miss, hitting the panzer's hand dead on and making it drop the stunned girl while Ritsu quickly ran up to grab her and pulled her away from the trapped zombie.

"N-Nng…thanks." Nodoka mumbled as she tried to shake her head of the spots she was seeing.

"Don't mention i-"  
The boat gave a massive jolt to the side causing both Ritsu and Nodoka to tumble back towards the angered panzer.

Ritsu was about to yell out something, but her speech was cut off as the panzer's massive hand closed over her head. The drummer began struggling violently as she tried clawing at the rotten hand. Nodoka quickly grabbed the combat dagger off Ritsu's belt as the girl was hoisted into the air slightly and she quickly stabbed the hand over and over again, making the Panzer release Ritsu. The drummer gasped for breath before stumbling away as Mio and Tsumugi entered the engine room.

"Ritsu!"

"Nodoka-chan!"

The boat gave another massive lurch and the panzer roared out again reaching out with its massive hand to grab Nodoka by the ankle. The girl began to claw frantically at the wooden boards beneath her before Tsumugi grabbed her and tried to pull her back.

"N-No! Mio-chan! Help!" Tsumugi pleaded as Nodoka yelled out fearfully.

The raven-haired girl was already a step ahead. She quickly grabbed one of the shotguns they had brought in with the rest of the ammo and as the boat jolted once more she quickly pushed the barrel into the panzer's mouth and pulled the trigger.

Blood splattered the wood behind the panzer's head and the grip on Nodoka's leg loosened.

"O-oh… kami-sama…" Ritsu panted out as Mio pulled back, eyes wide with fear at the realization of what she just did. "T-That's a hell of a way to kill that thing Mio…"  
"I… It was the only thing I could think of…" Mio mumbled out as Tsumugi pulled Nodoka up onto her feet.

"At least it's dead…" Nodoka said as she rubbed her back and then her head feeling for blood, but when she found none, she sighed softly before turning to Tsumugi to give her a hug. The hug startled the blonde for a moment before she hugged back and smiled.

"Uhm, guys…" Ritsu said as she noticed the panzer moving again. "I don't think it's dead-"  
She didn't get to finish her sentence as the panzer's body was pushed further into the boat by another wave crashing against the boat, causing the girls to tumble backwards as a jet of water began to shoot into the boat from where the panzer use to be.

"We have to get off this boat now!" Nodoka yelled over to rushing water as it began to fill up the lower levels much faster now that the body blocking it was gone.

"And how are we going to do that!" Ritsu yelled back as Ui and Jun ran out of the room they were resting in, both of them gasping when they saw the water was now to their mid calves.

"What the hell-" Jun started before Ritsu began pushing her up towards the stairs along with Ui.

Azusa was about to go back down when she saw Ritsu and the others come up.

"Nodoka-san! What's going on?" Azusa asked as she looked at how drenched the girls were; they were even more soaked then she was standing in the light drizzling rain.

"There was a panzer stuck in the side of the boat-" Nodoka started.

"But then we killed it and the water pushed it into the boat and now we have a big gaping hole! We're stranded in the middle of the fucking ocean and we're sinking!" Ritsu yelled hysterically while Mio began hyperventilating. Tsumugi was also in a state of panic while Jun and Ui held onto each other. Then Azusa's eyes went wide.

"Oh my god… Yui!" The twin tailed girl darted for the stairs once more and quickly began to wade through the now waist deep water.

"Azusa-chan! Don't!" Tsumugi yelled before the boat gave another jolt as a wave crashed into the side, making all the girls lose their balance before falling onto the deck. Then they began to slide towards the railing as the ship began to tip sideways.

Ritsu quickly grabbed Mio's hand as the two of them hit the railing hard before Ritsu grabbed onto her girlfriend and held on tightly.  
"M-Mio… i-in case this is… the last time I e-ever see you. I r-really really love you-mmph." Ritsu found her speech get cut off as Mio forced her lips onto the drummer's in a desperate kiss before pulling back to give her a tearful smile.

"I know… I love you too baka." Mio said sadly.

Jun quickly caught Ui before she slide against the railing and held onto her tightly as the young Hirasawa gave a yelp of pain from her leg, having been strained so much from the rough waves stirred up by the storm. Jun looked over at Mio and Ritsu, seeing their exchange didn't put her heart at ease at all and she quickly looked down at Ui and pulled her up to kiss her forehead.

Ui seemed stunned by this, but as they gazed into each other's eyes, there was a silent communication between them as they hugged each other close.

Tsumugi and Nodoka on the other hand were struggling to get back towards the stairs that went down to help Azusa, but they quickly realized the boat was most likely going to tip over before either of them could actually get to the opening.

Nodoka quickly understood what was going to happen and she grabbed hold of Tsumugi, bright blue looking into dark brown.

"Mugi-san… thank you." Nodoka whispered firmly causing Tsumugi's eyes to go wide.

"W-What fo-mmph!" Tsumugi was cut off as Nodoka finally pulled the girl into a firm kiss. Tsumugi's eyes widened even more before they began to tear up as she pulled the violet haired girl closer, kissing back before burying her face into Nodoka's shirt. "…Thank you Nodoka-chan."

Nodoka nodded and held her tightly and she braced herself for the final wave that would send the ship upside down.

* * *

"Yui!" Azusa cried out as she tried to pull the door open to the room where her lover was. When she found it wouldn't move because of the water pressure she quickly grabbed one of the fire axes nearby and began to hack away at the hinges of the door, trying to loosen them up so she could push the door open. She was about to get to the last hinge when the boat got rocked so hard that it knocked Azusa off her feet, against the door, and the door gave way making her fall into the water. She quickly resurfaced and ran to Yui's side. The brunette was half way on the bed, face scrunched up in pain, obviously shaken by another fever dream as Azusa smiled softly down at her unharmed form.

"Yui, wake up, we have to get out of he-" Azusa yelped out as the boat shook violently before she found herself face planting the wall behind the bunks as Yui was thrown with her. The brunette was knocked awake, gasping out when those chocolate eyes watched a torrent of water rush down the hallway before quickly filling up the area they were in. Both Yui and Azusa quickly took deep breaths of air as the water filled up the space. Azusa quickly grabbed Yui's wrist and the two of them swam through the murky water, practically blind as they searched for the exit. It wasn't long before Azusa's lungs began to ache for air and she felt Yui lag behind slightly. She continued on strongly, the will to survive pushing her forward as she finally felt the surface. She broke up and gasped loudly for air before pulling Yui up as well. To her dismay, she noticed Yui's eyes were closed and she wasn't responding when the kouhai called her name. Panic began to fill her before another wave crashed into their bodies, sending them back underwater. Azusa also got a lung full of water from the wave and she quickly resurfaced to gasp and cough up the liquid before the water engulfed her once more.

_I c-can't keep this up, I'm too tired. _Azusa thought as she began to weakly kick to resurface once more.

However, she felt the water current around her and Yui snap them in many directions, disorienting the poor kouhai as she tried to keep a firm grip on her senpai.

It was finally too much, Azusa's grip weakened and Yui slipped from her embrace, disappearing into the blackness of the ocean as Azusa's consciousness left her.

* * *

Author Notes: Don't you hate it when I leave you with these sorts of cliffhangers? X3

Sorry the chapter is so short, the outlines for this chapter were short as well. But that shouldn't be too bad, after all this chapter is just leading up to arc 2. And this is where the real fun begins~ I'm so horrible. I am having way too much fun with this story. ;-;

Beta note: Amg I'm having Titanic flash backs. XD


	12. Separated

Separated

_I open my eyes from another nightmare, only to be thrust into the nightmare that is my life. _

_The water fills the room faster than I could even imagine and I quickly take a deep breath before my shoulders and chest are assaulted with a pain that's unlike any I felt before._

_The cold salt water makes it hard to concentrate on anything but the feeling of many sharp stabbing pains running up and down my body. I can barely see let alone move until she takes my wrist._

_Azusa._

_Part of me thinks this will be the last image of her I'll ever have as she pulls me through the murky sea water to get to the surface._

_I can't hold out much longer, the pain is too much._

_I'm so sorry, Azusa._

_I really hope this isn't the last time I see you… hopefully when all this ends… we c-can…_

_C-can't breathe… Azus-_

Blackness over took her mind as she slowly slipped from the conscious world.

Time meant nothing as she was carried miles through the current of the sea.

Soon feeling came back to Yui, as did all sorts of pain, but at least she was able to move. However, she felt unable to breathe. She tried inhaling but quickly choked on the breath and began to cough up water that had been in sitting in her lungs for a while before she flipped onto her back in the sand.

_S-Sand?_

Yui grabbed a hand full of the sand and held it up to her face, watching it with half-lidded eyes as she took large gulps of air. Slowly, Yui pulled herself up into the sitting position and began to scan the area around her. There were rocks and boulders all around as well as what looked like a road not too far off in the distance, but there was no sign of any of her friends or Azusa.

Loneliness and fear instantly gripped her heart like a vice as she felt tears coming to her eyes. She reached up to hold her shoulders before clenching her jaw to stifle a sob of pain and agony before she finally pushed herself onto her feet.

Yui was soaked and freezing; the wraps were loose around her wounds and it felt like the stitching had come undone in a few places, but thankfully she didn't see any blood.

She had to find someone.

Her friends had to be okay, right?

They couldn't be…

No, Yui wouldn't think like that, she was still optimistic. She quickly patted her cheeks to wake herself up; she couldn't afford to pass out now, not while she was alone. She took the first step and almost stumbled before pushing on with renewed vigor.

_Hang on Azusa. I'm coming… please… let me find you, and please be all right._

As Yui walked towards the road, she vaguely wondered for a brief moment where she was. She couldn't see any signs anywhere that would point her to her location, but seeing a road did bring some comfort. She couldn't be too far from…

Yui stopped thinking when she realized if she was close to civilization that meant there would be zombies most likely if the infection spread. After all, she didn't know if she washed up on an island or not.

After stumbling once more she sat on the cold gravel and began to pant softly as tears filled her eyes once more.

She hated being alone.

Maybe, if she called out, she could find someone.

Yui opened her mouth to yell out, but all she could muster was a soft squeak.

She growled softly and tried again, it was hoarse, but at least she yelled.

"A-Azusa!" She could hear her voice echo slightly in the distance off the rocky cliffs nearby, but other then that she heard silence. "…R-Ricchan! Mio-chan! Mugi-chan!" Yui yelled again, straining her ears to try and hear anything. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she hugged herself. "Jun-chan… N-Nodoka-chan… U-Ui!"

Deafening silence.

Yui sobbed softly as she shivered from a soft breeze.

"A-Anyone… please…"

Suddenly she heard it; it was faint, but it was definitely a yell. Yui's eyes went wide and she quickly got up and started walking faster towards the direction before yelling out again.

"H-Hello! Anyone there!" Yui yelled as she began to smile. She had hoped she found someone; maybe it was Ricchan, or Mio-chan. Maybe even Azusa. She then heard the noise again and began to run, her shoulders and chest may hurt, but that didn't matter at the moment. She wanted to find someone so badly, that was enough to dull the pain.

As she got to the rocky side of the road and looked over, she stopped instantly as her eyes widened. There on the shore were a few decaying zombies sprinting towards someone lying on the ground. There was already a zombie on top of them and they looked to be struggling.

Yui couldn't tell who it was, but she knew she had to help. She looked for anything she could use as a weapon before grabbing a hand-sized rock and running towards the person.

The zombies that were crowding around the person instantly focused on her as she came charging up and each one gave a choked hiss of anger before sprinting towards her.

Yui instantly brought the rock down hard on one of the zombie's heads and winced as she felt her hand and the rock become drenched in blood, but at least one zombie dropped.

She felt a hand grab her shoulder and she quickly turned to bring the rock across another zombie's temple with a sickening crack. It wasn't even a second before another tackled her from behind, the two of them tumbling to the sandy shores where Yui yelped out before shoving the rock into the zombie's opened mouth to keep it from biting her. It began thrashing around to get the rock out before Yui closed her eyes tightly and pulled her fingers tightly into her palm before striking out with her fist. She felt her knuckles catch the zombie's nose, breaking it easily, but also knocking it off her so she could stand back up. She then ran over to the fallen person, tugged the zombie off them and as it turned to bite her she instantly head butted the monster as hard as she could.

The zombie collapsed and Yui reached up to grab her head, letting out a yelp of pain as she rubbed the now sore spot where she head butted the zombie.

As her head began to pound painfully she heard a soft voice calling out to her.

"Yui, Yui are you okay?"

Yui opened her eyes as she felt a hand on her cheek and couldn't help but smile brightly when she noticed who it was that she saved.

"Ricchan!" Yui yelled out happily as she wrapped her arms around the golden haired girl. Ritsu looked okay for the most part, but her clothing was in disarray and she appeared to have lost her signature headband.

"A-Ah… it's nice to see you back to your normal self again, but how the hell did you recover so fast? Don't those wounds hurt?" Ritsu asked as she reached up to pushed Yui away slightly.

Yui blinked a little before she gasped softly.

That's right, she was still wounded. Yui reached up and began to undo the buttons on her shirt.

"A-Ack! What are you doing Yui! You should really do that in front of Azusa-"  
Ritsu instantly stopped talking when she noticed the wounds on Yui's chest looked a lot less irritated looking and weren't bleeding at all. "What the…"

Yui shrugged slightly and rebuttoned her shirt, only to watch as one of the buttons fell off.

"… I think I need new clothing." Yui said as she looked at the fallen button before looking up at Ritsu who was now looking over her own cloths.

"Me too. Skirts really aren't the best for zombie apocalypses." Ritsu replied as she looked around the area. "So, any idea where we are...? Or where the others are?" Ritsu asked, her face becoming more worried as Yui shook her head.

"I have no idea where we are… I woke up alone." Yui said softly as she watched Ritsu run her fingers through her hair.

"We need to find the others, they can't be too far away from us… I hope." Ritsu didn't want to think about the possibility that someone could have drowned. Hell, she was scared enough as is thinking about Mio being all alone. There were zombies so that meant wherever they were, the infection spread to it. "Let's go, Yui. Not much we can do but wander around and hope we find them."  
Yui nodded and followed her commander in search for the rest of their friends.

* * *

_W-Where am I?_

Long dexterous fingers felt the ground beneath her, feeling wet sand and water as another wave crashed into the shore and over her already soaked body, causing another shiver to go through her.

_I seem to be awake… but why can't I open my eyes? Am I that tired?_

Slowly, a groan escaped her lips as she forced those stormy grey eyes to open and take in the dark grey world. It was still cloudy, that much she could see, but as Mio's eyes began to adjust to seeing again, a rotten face instantly came down in her view.

She let out a scream and her arms suddenly became useful once more, reaching up to grab the zombie's face to keep it from biting her. It groaned out angrily as it was denied its food and it began grappling with her, trying to gain the upper hand as she continued to struggle with it.

"H-Help! R-Ritsu!" Mio yelled as she began looking around for anything to use as a weapon. When all she saw was sand she let out a strangled cry as she quickly shifted her feet under the zombie, putting the soles of her feet against the rotten corpse's chest and pushed with all her might, sending the zombie backwards off of her.

It roared and became slightly disoriented as it struggled to get to its feet before Mio quickly got up and decided to punch the back of the zombie's neck as hard as she could. She could feel bone snapping easily under the blow and watched with eerie satisfaction as the rotten corpse collapsed. She shuddered in disgust as she instinctively wiped the back of her hand on her shirt before looking around the area once more.

When she saw how alone she was, Mio couldn't help but feel petrifying fear run through her veins.

Where was Ritsu?

Where were the others?

Did they make it out safely?

Or did they-

Mio shook her head and put the palms of her hands to her face as she felt tears come to her eyes.

_N-No, they can't be… we've s-survived so much already, they can't be… dead._

Mio took deep breaths of air, trying to calm herself down as panic began to overtake her senses.

She was so caught up in her emotions, she didn't even notice the zombie she had punched was crawling towards her once more until it gripped her ankle causing her to scream loudly.

Mio instantly kicked the zombie once more and her eyes widened in fear as she heard the roar of a rush. She instantly regretted being such a scared little girl. She had just caused a rush to come after her and she had no weapons what so ever.

So she did the next best thing.

She ran.

Mio didn't know what she was going to do; she thought about jumping back into the sea just to avoid getting torn apart; however she smiled when she noticed a cave not too far and she quickly took shelter in it. She found it had waist deep water in it so if she was careful enough she could probably hide from the rush. She sunk down into the water and closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the sound of rushing feet and rotting groans to run by her hiding spot before she let out a soft sigh.

_Okay, so apparently they only hear the sounds… I guess we could use that to our advantage next time… if there is a next time._

Mio pulled herself out of the water and back onto the shore and sighed heavily. She was so tired of running and her body was aching from the event of being tossed around by the sea. But she had to press on, she had to find someone.

She decided to walk along the beach the opposite way of the rush that had passed by and began scanning the area, sometimes calling out to see if anyone could hear her. As time went on, she slowly began to fear that she was the only one to survive.

That is, until she saw something laying face down on the shore. Mio's heart stopped.

_Is that-_

Mio instantly recognized the long black hair that was somehow still in its twin tails and she began to run towards the prone form before dropping to her knees beside her kouhai.

"Azusa! A-Azusa wake up!" Mio yelled out as she turned the girl onto her back and began shaking her as hard as she could, even giving her a harmless little slap on the cheek to try and rouse her.

Mio's heart began to race when she finally noticed something horrible.

Azusa wasn't breathing.

But she still felt warm.

Mio instantly pulled up her young kouhai's wrist to check for a pulse.

_Please still be alive… please please ple-_

Mio sighed softly when she felt a faint pulse and she decided to finally put her first aid class skills to work.

She slightly tilted Azusa's head back and began to blush a little as she looked around.

_Lets hope Ritsu doesn't randomly show up in the middle of this… but I have to do this to save her._

Mio quickly leaned down putting her mouth over the kouhai's before her hand came up to pinch her nose shut as she forced air into those water filled lungs.

Mio repeated this three times before pulling away to push down on her chest, trying to revive Azusa as best she could.

"Come on, Azusa." Mio pleaded as she leaned in to try once more, but instantly pulled away as the young guitarist choked out and turned to her side to throw up the water. She gasped, spluttered, and choked softly as Mio rubbed her back, tears in her eyes at the fact that she had successfully saved her young friend's life.

"A-Azusa… it's okay, let it out… good girl." Mio whispered as she rubbed her kouhai's back.

After finally getting all the water out of her lungs, Azusa turned towards her senpai and instantly wrapped her arms around the bassist tightly.

"M…M-Mio-senpai!"

"Shh… it's okay Azusa. You're fine."  
"T-Thank you… Thank you so much." Azusa whimpered out as she took very large deep breaths as she nuzzled into her senpai firmly.

"D-Don't mention it… seriously, Ritsu might have a cow." Mio said with a smirk as she pulled back and patted Azusa on the head. "Do… you remember anything about what happened?" Mio asked as she wiped away Azusa's tears.

"N-No. I… remember trying to s-save Yui-" Garnet orbs widened. "N-No… Where's Yui! W-Where is everyone!" Azusa yelled out as she began to panic.

"Calm down. You… you almost died. You need to not panic." Mio said firmly as she hugged the kouhai close once more, trying to calm her down.

"Y-You're right, s-she could still be alive… we just need to look."

"That's it, that's the Azusa I know. Now, come on let's get-"  
A hand suddenly gripped Mio's shoulder causing her to almost scream again, but this time instead of screaming, she turned around to punch whatever it was hard on top of the head making the thing yelp painfully.  
"Itai!"  
"Jun!"

"A-Ah! I'm so sorry!" Mio yelled out as she quickly placed her hands on Jun's face and checked to see if she had done any major damage to the younger bassist.

"O-Ouch… g-gah, remind me to at least say something while I'm a few feet away so I can avoid getting hit like that again." Jun whimpered out as she rubbed the top of her head tenderly.

"I'm r-really sorry Jun-chan. I didn't… well I thought you were a zombie." Mio admitted as she smiled a little bit, trying to lighten the mood.

"Y-Yeah, understood. Gah, you hit like a truck Mio-senpai." Jun said as she stood up.

"We need to get going, we have to find the others. If… we survived, the others could have survived as well." Mio said reassuringly.

"I agree… but Yui… she was-" Azusa whispered softly.  
"Azusa, you have to remain optimistic, Yui… she could have survived. She's pretty tough." Mio replied smiling a little as she motioned with her head towards the way she was walking earlier. "Let's get moving, we have to find them before it gets dark."

The two kouhai nodded and began looking around as Mio lead them up the coastline, hoping desperately that Ritsu and the others really were okay.

* * *

Endless hunger caused him to wander aimlessly around the wooded area.

He couldn't see anything of interest as milky lifeless eyes barely seeing anyway as he let out a hoarse groan.

But then, he heard it.

The soft heartbeat and a faint groan of the living.

His head quickly turned to the source and through his dark vision he could easily see the shape of a human lying face down in the sand.

He let out a hiss of pleasure at the fact that he had happened upon food and he began to sprint towards the prone figure on the ground.

It was all his, he didn't have to fight for a piece today, his hunger would be sated.

As he came within range of the girl he opened his mouth, allowing drool to drip from his rotten jaw as he got on his knees to take a bite of the venerable morsel.

But, he didn't get to enjoy anything from the young girl as a rock smacked against his temple, and all functions stopped.

Nodoka was panting softly, fear slowly draining from her system after she had almost witnessed her friend's sister almost get bitten by a zombie before she came to her rescue with a large rock in her hand. She had been wandering around the shoreline for what felt like hours before she finally found someone else. But it looked like Ui was still unconscious.

Nodoka quickly got on her knees and turned the brunette on to her back and began to gently shake her.

"Ui… Ui come on. Please wake up." Nodoka said firmly as she continued to shake the younger girl. After a few moments Ui gave a soft groan of pain before her eyes slowly opened.

They went wide for a moment before she quickly sat up and wrapped her arms around Nodoka's neck and hugged her tightly.  
"N-Nodoka-san!"  
Nodoka smiled a little and hugged her tightly before inhaling deeply as she rubbed the younger girl's back.

"I'm so glad you're okay Ui… I was so worried I wouldn't find anyone."

"W-What? Y-You mean you can't find-" Ui started before Nodoka silenced her with a finger.

"I haven't been able to locate anyone yet. But I'm sure they are alive." Nodoka replied as she smiled reassuringly. "Can you get up?"

Ui remembered the pain of having the saltwater against her wound on her leg and she briefly wondered if they paralyzed her leg, but after Nodoka helped her to her feet she found it didn't hurt as bad as she thought it would and nodded slowly.

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay… so where do we start?" Ui asked as she began to scan the area.

"Well… I was about to go check out that beach house over there." Nodoka said as she pointed towards a rather small looking house located near some rocks.

Ui's eyes looked around for any signs of zombies, other then the one Nodoka had killed earlier, and after not seeing any she quickly followed the older girl as they walked towards the beach house.

"Do… you think Onee-chan and the others are okay?" Ui asked as she began thinking of all the possibilities that Jun could be dead or dying somewhere.

"I don't know Ui, but it gives me hope seeing you alive." Just like Ui, Nodoka feared that Tsumugi could be dead, but hope kept her optimistic. After all, Ui had survived the shipwreck; there was a chance the others could have as well.

"Are you sure we should check that house? I mean it looks like the storm got to it pretty badly." Ui said as they walked closer to it.

"Yeah… maybe you're ri-" Nodoka stopped as she heard a soft whimper come from the slightly destroyed house. Now that they were closer to the beach house Nodoka could easily see the damage that the storm had done to it. The waves were still close enough that it was leaking into the busted up side of the house, but then she noticed something inside the house.

"Someone is in there." Nodoka said firmly as she heard the whimpering getting louder. "Come on!"

Ui gasped softly as she heard the soft whines coming from the broken part of the house and as the two of them ran towards it another set of cries caught their attention.

Nodoka quickly stopped and held out her hand to stop Ui, and before the girl could question anything their eyes landed on a figure on the other side of the beach house.

There, slumped over, sobbing softly, was a screamer.

Ui would never forget that thing. Not after what it did to Jun. She instantly looked up at Nodoka as she was trying to figure out how to get into the house without disturbing the screamer. Dark brown eyes flicking around the house before she finally came up with an idea.

"Ui, I need you to stay very quiet, we're going to wade through the water and into the broken side of the house. There is someone in there; I just know it… and we have to help them. So, be as quiet as possible." Nodoka whispered as she began to slowly walk around the house, avoiding the screamer's gaze along with Ui as the two of them began to wade through the icy cold water into the beach house. Once inside they noticed that some of the roof had caved in at some point and it looked as there a wave had caused it. But Ui was the only one who caught that, Nodoka's eyes were on something else.

"Oh god, Mugi." Nodoka whimpered out as she quickly waded through the water and onto the wet floorboards of the house as she quickly ran to the blonde's side. The ojou-sama was on her side caught underneath a few of the boards that had caved in around her and she was whimpering softly before she felt a warm hand on her slightly bruised cheek.

"N-Nodoka…chan?" Tsumugi whimpered out as she slowly opened her eyes.

"H-hey… h-hang on okay? I'll get you out of here." Nodoka said as she began to quietly move some of the boards off Tsumugi's body as Ui finally began to help.

"Tsumugi-san, does anything hurt really badly?" Ui asked as she knelt down after Nodoka got all the boards off her.

"N-No, I… I was just a little bruised up… t-those boards were a bit heavy." Tsumugi replied as she felt her two friends help her up.

"That's good, listen, and there's a screamer right outside we can sneak passed if we just be quiet enough okay?" Nodoka said as she began to walk towards the opening on the other side of the house, being as careful as possible. Tsumugi and Ui followed close behind and as Nodoka stepped onto the sandy beach and offered her hand to Tsumugi as she stepped out as well. She didn't notice Ui about to step on a weak part of the floorboard before it was too late.

Ui let out a yelp as the floor gave way under her.

Thankfully Nodoka was quick and caught her before she fell, but the sound of the boards snapping and breaking along with the rest of the house caused the screamer to snap its head towards the girls and its mouth to open.

"RUN!" Nodoka yelled as she yanked Ui up quickly and they began to run, trying to put as much distance between them and the screamer as possible.

Thankfully they were far enough away from the zombie that its scream didn't harm them, but they could easily hear the roars of a rush behind them as the screamer began to run after them.

* * *

"So, do either of you remember anything that happened after the ship tipped over?" Mio asked as she turned to her two younger friends.

"Not really, I remember not being able to breathe, but that's about it… also… I h-had Ui's hand in mine… I can't believe I let go." Jun whispered softly as her expression became one of pain before Azusa put a reassuring hand on her back.

"I know how you feel Jun…"  
Mio also saddened at this, she hoped they would find the others soon, and find them alive. She sorely missed Ritsu and she couldn't wait to see her once again-

Mio's thought process stopped when she heard a scream, her eyes widened when she realized the scream didn't sound human and that thought became even more reinforced as Jun became pale.

"I…I know that scream." Jun said fearfully.

"Jun isn't that a…" Azusa started, but as soon as she started speaking Mio gasped out and began smiling.

"Look! It's Nodoka!" Mio yelled out.

Jun's eyes suddenly went wide as well and she felt tears in her eyes as she saw Ui with Nodoka.

"She's alive…" Jun whispered thankfully.

The joy of the moment was ruined when they noticed their friends were not running towards them, but away from a rather large group of zombies.

"Uhm, we should probably-"  
"Run, definitely run!" Jun yelled as she turned on her heels and began to run the opposite way along with Mio and Azusa as Nodoka and the others caught up with them.

The roar of the rush traveled across the shore to the ears of both Yui and Ritsu.

"What the? Was that a…" Ritsu started but before she could say more Yui had already began to sprint in the direction of the sound. "O-Oi! Yui, don't run off!" Ritsu yelled as she began to run after the brunette. As they ran down the shoreline, Yui almost yelled out happily when she saw her kouhai and friends all running towards them, but once again that smile changed into panic as soon as they saw the horde of zombies.

"Run! Just run!" Nodoka yelled as they continued to run as fast as they cold on the wet sand. As they caught up with Ritsu and Yui, Mio began to process her thoughts in rapid succession as they neared another cave.

"Guys, hide in that cave and stay as quiet as possible! The zombies are still sound oriented and we can lose them if we are quiet enough!" Mio yelled out, grabbing everyone's attention before they began to duck inside the cave and hide behind rocks. They all held their breaths and tried to calm their hearts as they stayed as quiet as possible.

The sound of dozens of rotting feet and groans ran passed the hiding spot before disappearing in the distance.

Once they were sure the zombies were gone the girls slowly came out from hiding, the feeling of happiness quickly replaced the panic.

"Guys… everyone is alive." Yui mumbled happily as she quickly embraced everyone she could with one arm.

They didn't know how or why, but once Yui began the massive group hug, everyone just fell into place; hugging each other desperately after the fear of thinking they would never see each other again.

Once Yui got her hugs on everyone in she quickly pulled Azusa into her arms and gave her a firm kiss on the lips, startling the poor kouhai, but after worrying so much about her the young guitarist just went with the kiss.

Mio smiled at the sight a little before feeling arms wrap around her middle and Ritsu pressing her body against her own before putting her face into Mio's neck.

"I was so worried about you…" Ritsu whispered as she hugged her girlfriend as tightly as possible without hurting her.

"Ritsu… I was too." Mio admitted as she wrapped her arms back around the drummer and buried her face into those golden locks. "I'm so happy you're okay. Oh, did you lose your headband?" Mio asked as she ran her fingers through Ritsu's loose bangs.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It must have fallen off in the sea…" Ritsu replied before she felt Mio pull back and guided her face up so they could look into each other's eyes before she leaned in and pressed her lips against her girlfriend's. Part of her believed she would never get to do that again and now she felt perfectly content, for the moment at least.

Even Ui and Jun quickly embraced once the impending danger was over. The young bassist kissing the brunette over and over again, small innocent kisses as Ui just smiled tearfully while hugging the girl close.

Nodoka watched over her friends as Tsumugi walked beside her and slipped her hand into her own.  
"Thanks, for saving me Nodoka-chan." Tsumugi whispered as she leaned over and kissed the girl on the cheek causing her to blush deeply.  
"Y-You're welcome Mugi." Nodoka whispered as she smiled slightly.

"Oh… one more thing." Tsumugi purred out as she raised a hand, put it on Nodoka's cheek so she could tilt her head slightly and press her lips against the dark violet haired girl's. Nodoka's glasses slipped slightly down the bridge of her nose as she felt those silky lips against her own before she slowly relaxed and smiled against the kiss before pulling back.

"Thanks…" Nodoka said as she smiled nervously. "I'm glad you're okay… are you sure you're not hurt anywhere?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Tsumugi replied before leaning tiredly against the slightly taller girl. "What do we do now? I doubt this is the island Sachi-san wanted us to go to…"  
"I'm not entirely sure where we are exactly… we need to find somewhere we can stay though. As much as I admired Sachi-san for her endurance, we have been through too much. We need somewhere we can just stay and defend." Nodoka said as she felt her eyes become heavy.

"We should continue up the road Yui and I saw." Ritsu said once she pulled away from Mio. "It's not to far from here and maybe we'll find some place to stay."

Nodoka seemed to like this answer and motioned the drummer to take lead while the others slowly followed after checking each other for any new wounds.

"By the way, Nodoka, something seems to be wrong with Yui's wounds." Ritsu said before she began undo the wrappings on her own wound. "And after looking at it, I need to check mine…" As Nodoka walked over to see what she was talking about she couldn't help but let her eyes go wide when she saw the wound.

It looked almost healed.

But, it had only been a couple of days.

How was that possible?

"Yui's wounds look less irritated as well, like they are healing really fast. Might explain how she is able to move around easier… do you think we got super powers?" Ritsu asked looked suddenly excited.

"I seriously doubt that." Nodoka said flatly before placing her hand on her chin. "But this is very strange. Azusa-chan." Nodoka called out causing the kouhai to slow down a little.

"Hai?"

"Are your burns feeling okay?" Nodoka asked.

"Uhm, now that you mention it they really itch." Azusa said as she began to absentmindedly scratch at the wraps.

"Weird, I might need to look at the wounds everyone has when we get somewhere safe." Nodoka mused as she started walking faster.

"Okay, but if we are getting super powers and I get the ability to fly, man I am abusing the heck out of tha-"

"We don't have super powers!"

* * *

Author Notes: Whew, been a while since I wrote something this long. XDD I don't really have anything important to say other then, I hope you guys enjoy. Please review!

Beta Note: Pffffft freaking super powers! –cracks up- Oh Ritsu. I heart you so.


	13. Little Ones

Little Ones

"Wouldn't it be cool if we were getting super powers?" Ritsu asked as she smirked at Mio how looked like she had permanently glued her hand to her face as she gave a soft groan. "I mean, then we'd definitely survive this apocalypse and people all over the world would want our help."  
Even Nodoka was getting fed up with the hero talk as she gave a rather loud sigh as they walked the long winding road.

"Ritsu, I told you before, we can't have super powers… and besides if you keep saying that, Yui might try jumping off a cliff and believe me, we don't need that." Mio said as she sighed softly.

Azusa shot a glance at her girlfriend, noticing the far away look in those chocolate eyes before she instinctively reached out and grabbed onto the soaked shirt.

Yui blinked in confusion and looked down at her kouhai before catching her thought process really easily and she gave the younger girl a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on jumping off any cliffs soon." Yui said as she put an arm around Azusa's shoulder.

It really was amazing though that just a short time after being badly hurt, Yui was able to move around normally. Ritsu as well, though she had been able to move the arm for some time now. Azusa was beginning to think they did have some form of "super power," as Ritsu put it.

But that couldn't be true; super powers only existed in comic books and manga.

Well, Azusa thought as she frowned a little, so did zombies.

Mio looked over Yui curiously before reaching out to grab Ritsu's arm, holding it up to inspect the healed wound for herself.

Ritsu watched those stormy grey eyes scan her arm, smiling a little at the protective nature behind the gaze before Mio let the arm go and blushed a little as she noticed she was being stared at.

"W-What?"

"Are you worried about me, Mio-chuan~" Ritsu purred out as she cuddled against her girlfriend's side. "Aww, how sweet, thank you~"

"Mou, you're so difficult." Mio mumbled as she put an arm around Ritsu's shoulders and hugged her close.

As they walked the long and winding road towards whatever civilization they found, Nodoka couldn't help but wonder if they had a chance of surviving without Sachi and Goro. She sorely missed the two of them and it hurt thinking about how they died. Now, the duty of watching over the others was back on her shoulders and she wasn't about to let any harm come to her friends.

A hand reached out and grabbed her own, snapping Nodoka out of her thoughts as she looked over at Tsumugi, smiling a little as the blonde smiled back.

"Is everything all right?" Tsumugi asked as she gave the hand a squeeze.

"Y-Yeah. Just thinking about the responsibility of being the leader again." Nodoka whispered softly as she saddened a little.

"You do a fine job of it, even more so now that we know more about the infected…" Tsumugi replied as she tried to get Nodoka's self-esteem a little higher. "And we know what the special infected sound like and we can keep an eye out for them."

"I don't know about that, what about the zombies that attacked Ui and Goro? I haven't heard what they sound like…"

"Then maybe you should ask her." Tsumugi stated as she smiled kindly. "I'm sure she'll be more then willing to tell you."

"Y-Yeah. I guess so. Once we find shelter I'll do that." Nodoka replied before giving the blonde a smile. "Thank you, Mugi."

"Of course, Nodoka."

"Hey! Look I see buildings!" Jun yelled out as she pointed towards the horizon.

Sure enough, over the next hill the girls were able to spot what looked to be a city of some sort. Of course, they weren't going to run head first into the area without making sure it was safe. So the girls took their time getting to the actual entrance of the said city before looking around.

From the looks of it, there wasn't any zombies or people for that matter.

The city looked deserted.

"This is even creepier than when we walked around our city… Nodoka can you tell where we are?" Ritsu asked as she turned to face the glasses wearing girl.

"Not sure… still. But we can pick out one of these abandoned buildings to set up camp in."  
"Good plan. How about we choice one of the hotels." Jun said as she smirked a little.

"Or we could just find a place that has futons and set up somewhere more practical." Mio suggested causing Jun to rub the back of her head bashfully.

"That sounds better. Let's see if we can find a store that has futons." Nodoka said as she led the girls further into the city.

As they got closer to the middle of the city, they began to see the damage that was caused by the outbreak.

Bodies began showing up, both infected and non-infected. Even a few military bodies began to appear, but no actual zombies yet.

"Well, this is rather nice, just happening upon bodies instead of actual zombies." Ritsu said as she looked around.

"That is nice, but this is horrible…" Ui replied as she clung to Jun's arm while they looked around.

"I have to agree with Ui, it's like a war happened here…" Jun said as she kept her girlfriend close, not wanting anything bad to happen to her after being separated from her for so long.

Ui seemed to not mind the protectiveness, for she really didn't want to be the victim of another attack like…

Her mind stopped before remembering what happened to Goro; she didn't want to think about the two adults that had sacrificed themselves so they could live.

As if sensing the inner turmoil, Jun hugged her closer and gave her a reassuring smile before her eyes continued to scan the area.

"Never mind about the futons." Nodoka said as she stopped by a building. It seemed to be a small storage building with one way in and no windows of any sort.

The perfect place to hold up.

"Let's just use our blazers… we can't keep trying to find things that'll make our lives easier. As much as it would help, it wastes time. And it's almost dark out." Nodoka opened the door to the storage's door and looked inside.

It was filled with a few boxes, but it seemed to be the perfect size for all of them.

As they all filled in and sat down after the long walk, Nodoka shut the door and sat down as well.

"We need to come up with look out schedules, two people for…every two hours? Does that sound reasonable?" Nodoka asked as she felt Tsumugi sit beside her and lean against her.

"Sounds fine to me." Ritsu replied, Mio nodded as she rested against the wall.

"It's good with Azusa and myself." Yui also said as she wrapped her arms around Azusa's waist from behind while the younger girl reclined against her.

"Same here, Nodoka-senpai." Jun said.

"I don't mind as well." Ui stated as she smiled a little.

"Good, then it's settled… I'll go first. After my two hours are up, I'll wake someone else up. Sound fair?" Nodoka asked.

The group nodded before each couple went off into their own corner to lie down and rest.

Nodoka sighed softly and allowed the door to be opened slightly as she looked out into the now darkened streets.

It was eerie, having to watch for any signs of movement in the dark. However, a part of Nodoka began screaming at her telling her if they were to come across anything, they didn't have a way to defend themselves. So she silently hoped that they wouldn't.

"Is everything okay Nodoka?" Tsumugi asked as she sat down near the bespectacled girl before leaning against her.

"Just thinking about how bad it would be if we came across a panzer." Nodoka said truthfully as she felt the blonde nuzzle her shoulder. "Don't you think it's a little… odd that everyone is together?"

Tsumugi tilted her head slightly before turning to look over her friends curiously.

She would have given anything to see all of this girl love back when there were no zombies, her 'Mugi-vision' would have gone completely wild over it.

However, Tsumugi knew that the reason behind all of this was very simple, so she turned back to Nodoka and chuckled softly.

"You see Nodoka," Tsumugi started as she wrapped her arms around the bespectacled girl's and continued, "I think everyone feels that they shouldn't have to go through this alone. They wanted to be with someone and have someone to protect before… our inevitable demise."  
Nodoka saddened a little.

"So, you also think…"

"It's hard not to after all we've been though. All our supplies we had were washed away in that storm. We have no idea where we are… and those zombies keep mutating." Tsumugi said as she closed her eyes and let out a soft yawn.

"You can sleep, you know. I'll keep an eye out." Nodoka said as she stroked Tsumugi's hair tenderly while keeping her eyes on the outside world.

"Thank you… wake me up if you see anything." Tsumugi replied before quickly falling asleep against Nodoka.

Thankfully Nodoka's shift was very uneventful. She had seen a mouse scurry passed, but other then that she saw nothing.

She woke up Ui next, her and Jun taking watch as she and Tsumugi slept. Once their time was up, they woke Ritsu up.

The drummer was a bit grumpy from having been woken up from her nice nap, but it didn't bother her once she realized Mio would be keeping her company.

The bassist was curled up next to Ritsu as she tried to keep a watchful eye out on the street, but as Mio mumbled softly into her shoulder the golden haired girl decided that it wouldn't hurt to just glance over her childhood friend.

Just a few moments wouldn't hurt right?

Soon the drummer's eyes drifted to Mio's still sleepy form, watching in awe as a breeze blew through the small opening and rustled some of those raven colored strands. Ritsu couldn't stop herself from running a hand through that hair before she put an arm around Mio's shoulders, hugging her close. This action seemed to wake the bassist up more and she turned her grey eyes up to Ritsu's giving her a confused look.

"Gomen, I didn't mean to wake you." Ritsu whispered as she leaned down to kiss Mio's forehead gently.

"No, it's okay, I need to stay awake with you anyway." The bassist replied before she grinned slightly up at her girlfriend. "Besides, you get distracted way too easily."  
"Oi, I'm doing just fine thank you very much." Ritsu stated as she patted Mio's head teasingly before turning to look back outside. "In fact, I'll give you my full report on what has happened so far. A tumble weed rolled by not too long ago… it gave me a dirty look before disappearing into the dark night."  
Mio rolled her eyes and snuggled against the braver girl before letting her eyes close once more.

"How can you joke at a time like this?" Mio asked seriously.

The question caught Ritsu off guard for a moment, but she felt her own heart sink slightly.

"I…"  
"G-Gomen Ritsu… I know why you joke at times like this." Mio quickly said as she sat up and pulled the drummer into her arms and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up… everything."

"It's okay Mio. I still have you." Ritsu said as she smiled a little. "As long as you're okay, then I can continue going forward."

Mio smiled at this and began stroking up and down Ritsu's back when a soft noise startled the two girls out of their hug.

Ritsu instantly was up and holding one of the wood poles she had gotten from one of the brooms they had found and she quickly looked around outside.

"Ritsu!" Mio hissed in a low whispered as she stood up as well and followed Ritsu outside. "We have to tell someone we are leaving if we're going to investigate that sound."

Ritsu realized this was true so she quickly went back in and shook Nodoka awake.

The bespectacled girl opened her eyes and looked at Ritsu with a worried expression.

"We heard something, can I borrow your flashlight and can you keep an eye out for anything while Mio and I go see what that was?"  
"You're leaving? That isn't a good idea…"  
"I know, but we have to make sure it's nothing… too terrible. Don't worry. If it's nothing we'll be right back." Ritsu replied as Nodoka sat up and nodded.

"Fine, don't take too long…"  
"Hai hai."

With that said, Ritsu took the offered flashlight and walked cautiously out into the open towards the sound while Mio followed.

"Ritsu, we shouldn't be wondering off so far, even if we did hear a noise what if it's a-"  
"Mio, I wanted to check it out because… it doesn't sound like a zombie." Ritsu admitted as she tried to listen for the noise she had heard earlier.

"You mean like a screamer crying? Those don't sound human-"  
"No, I mean I heard something else… if you're going to complain the whole time you can go back."

"W-What! And leave you by yourself?" Mio yelled in a whispered as she quickly reached out and put her hand on Ritsu's back as they walked. "Never."

Ritsu smiled at this and continued forward, crouching low as she peered around every corner.

Finally she heard it again; it was soft and very low, but it was the sound of someone crying for help.

Not the cry of a screamer either, she could actually hear words.

"Someone is alive." Ritsu whispered as she began running towards the sound.

"R-Ritsu! Wait up!" Mio cried out in a hoarse whisper before running after the drummer.

Ritsu knew this was a bad idea; she didn't know if there were any zombies that could mimic humans or something like that, but her gut told her this wasn't any trick.

Someone needed help.

They were getting closer and closer.

Ritsu knew it would only be a matter of time before they came across the person calling for help.

But she wasn't prepared at all for what she saw.

As Ritsu rounded the corner where she knew the voice was coming from her heart instantly dropped and those golden eyes widened.

_I-It can't be…_

There in front of her was a young boy.

Ritsu could have sworn at first glance that the boy was-

"S-Satoshi?" Ritsu mumbled out.

The boy turned his head quickly at the sound, fear in his soft brown eyes, but that instantly left when he noticed Ritsu wasn't a zombie.

"E-Excuse me?" The boy asked, confusion lacing his terrifyingly pale face.

Ritsu shook her head.

No, this wasn't Satoshi; his eyes weren't golden like her own.

"Ritsu, wait up, did you find… Oh my god." Mio panted out when she noticed the boy. She instantly knew why Ritsu was so still, and why her face was suddenly stricken with pain.

"U-Uhm… who are you people?" The boy asked as he curled up a little more against the corner he was hiding in.

Before Mio could answer for the shocked drummer, Ritsu snapped out of her stunned state and smiled ever so kindly at the cowering boy.

"I'm Ritsu Tainaka, and this is my… b-best friend Mio Akiyama." Ritsu said, not wanting to tell people that she and Mio were more then just best friends. "What's your name?"

Mio watched as the boy slowly stopped shaking so fearfully and began to smile a little under the kind gaze of her girlfriend.

"M-My name's Toshi. A-are you… alone?" Toshi asked as he slowly rose to his feet.

"No, we have some friends just a few blocks away… are you hurt? Do you know if you're immune?" Ritsu asked as she stayed at a distance. She didn't want to cause the boy harm if he wasn't immune, but how would he know?

He probably has been through just as much as they have.

"I… I think so. M-My parents turned and t-tried to attack me. I hurt my l-leg while running f-from them." Toshi whimpered out as he wandered over the rubble of the hiding place before Ritsu bent down and held out her arms for the boy, catching him as he stumbled on the last step before her.

"Don't worry, we'll keep you company, right Mio?"

Mio nodded slowly.

She knew Ritsu was getting attached to Toshi just because of how much he looked like Satoshi.

Even their names were similar.

Ritsu just continued to smile at the boy as she began the trek back to the shelter while she kept a close eye on anything that moved.

"Where are your parents now? Did they… get killed some how? This place is pretty deserted."

Toshi shook his head quickly.

"No, t-they were chasing me, then I think I lost them."

Ritsu stopped when she heard a growl and her eyes widened as she and Mio began to look for the source while Toshi cling tightly to Ritsu.

"Mio, take my pole."  
"But-"  
"I can't fight while holding him, you have to protect us." Ritsu stated as she quickly handed the weapon off to Mio before a loud screech could be heard that caused both the girls to turn around and quickly dodge a flying body. "Pouncer!" Ritsu yelled out as she noticed the thin zombie quickly turning around on the ground to try and pounce once more.

It was aiming for Ritsu.

Mio quickly acted out, raising the make shift staff before bringing it down on the smaller zombie's head with a sickening crack. The zombie let out some sort of yelping noise before turning towards Mio.

The bassist quickly struck again, this time blood splattered the area and stained the end of the staff.

The zombie ceased to move after that hit.

Toshi had buried his face into Ritsu's shoulder, unable to watch as the girls saved his life once more.

"N-Nice job Mio. Let's get out of here." Ritsu said quickly as she and her friend quickly turned and began to run back towards the shelter.

It wasn't long before they saw Nodoka standing outside worriedly, but once her eyes caught sight of the boy she instantly moved aside to let them go in before she shut the door and shot Ritsu a curious look.

"So who do we have here?" Nodoka asked.

The others were awake after hearing about Ritsu and Mio wandering off and were all relieved to see them unharmed.

Toshi seemed to get nervous around all the girls as they crowded around him.

"Aww, are you lost too?" Yui asked as she got down on her knees in front of him and gave him a pat on the head.

"Y-Yes…" Toshi said softly as he allowed the girls to smother him with affection.

Ritsu shooed them away and put a reassuring hand on the young boy's head before smiling a little.

"Okay guys, this is Toshi and he'll be staying with us for the reminder of the time. After all, we don't leave people behind. Not anymore." Ritsu said the last part softly before shaking her head. "Anyway, what are you guys doing awake, you should be sleeping."

Mio watched as Ritsu led the boy towards a small spot where he could sleep. She then decided to offer her blazer for him to rest his head on before Nodoka noticed that the door had a lock on it.

"Well, how about we all just rest, it's been a rough night so, what's the harm? I can lock this and no zombie will get in." Nodoka said as she quickly locked the door before pushing a large box in front of it just for extra safety.

Ritsu sat down near Toshi and smiled a little as he lay down.

"Ne, Ritsu-san?"

"Hai?"

"U-Uhm, thank you for saving me." Toshi mumbled as he stared up at the ceiling.

"No problem kid. I couldn't just leave you out there. I'm sorry about your parents…" Ritsu whispered as she leaned against the wall near her new friend.

Toshi looked like he wanted to ask more since Ritsu had a pained expression on her face, but stayed quiet.

As if sensing the question, Ritsu chuckled softly and looked away.

"I lost my parents too… and my brother. You actually remind me a lot of him."

Mio, who was near by, felt her heart get stabbed by an invisible pain. She lost her parents as well; she knew exactly how Ritsu felt, but she didn't have any siblings.

She wished she could ease the pain for both herself and Ritsu, but she knew it would just take a while.

Unexpectedly though, Toshi sat up and hugged Ritsu around the waist, laying his head on her lap while closing his eyes.

"If it helps any, I'm sure they'd be happy you're okay. I'm sure my parents are happy I'm okay too, and with good people."

Ritsu seemed stunned by this and unshed tears appeared in her eyes as she patted the boy on the head a little before chuckling weakly.

"Y-Yeah, t-thank you." She sniffled softly before averting her gaze again towards Mio, seeing the worry in her girlfriend's eyes made her smile a little more reassuringly. "Why don't you get some rest. I'll wake you up when we have to go."

The boy nodded a little and shifted back onto the blazer Mio allowed him to use before quickly falling asleep.

Mio instantly moved to Ritsu's side and put her arms around the girl, comforting her as best she could as Ritsu allowed the tears to finally fall.

"Shhh… Ritsu. It's okay." Mio cooed softly as she rubbed her friend's back, trying desperately to ease the pain.

"I-I know… it just hurts remembering his voice."

Mio nodded as she lifted Ritsu's head with both her hands, stroking away the tears that fell with her thumbs before leaning in to kiss those chapped lips briefly.

After a moment or two, they pulled away and cuddled close.

"Just sleep Ritsu, you need to rest."

"You too silly." Ritsu mumbled weakly as she let out a tired yawn before her eyes slowly drifted shut. "I love you… Mio."

"I love you too, Ritsu." Mio replied as she leaned her head against that messy golden hair as the two of them slowly but surely drifted to sleep.

It wasn't long after that when Ritsu heard a rather disturbing noise.

Sobbing.

Painfully lonely sobbing.

Toshi must have woken up from a nightmare, Ritsu thought to herself as she slowly pushed Mio off her shoulder, waking her friend in the process before she walked over to the figure that had buried itself in one of the storage room corners.

"Toshi? What's wrong?" Ritsu asked in a quiet voice so as not to wake anyone else up.

When he didn't reply and continued to sob Ritsu knelt down behind him.  
"Hey, it's okay don't cry. Did you have a nightmare?"

As Mio rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she looked over at the area where Ritsu and Toshi were and noticed a faint red glow from Toshi's face.

Frowning a little in thought, she continued to stare before she noticed that his skin was a rather nasty pale color.

Just like the-

Mio's eyes widened even more when she noticed the massive claws on the boy's hands and she instantly realized the danger Ritsu had put herself into.

Her friend was oblivious to Toshi's change and she was beginning to reach out to touch the things shoulder.

Mio couldn't allow that.

She quickly got up and ran to Ritsu's side to grab her wrist before she touched Toshi's shoulder.

"Ritsu! Don't!"

Nothing had prepared them for what happened next.

A loud scream came from Toshi, though not as loud as the Screamer's scream, and blood instantly coated Ritsu's uniform.

But it wasn't her blood.

Ritsu watched, unable to react in time as the infected form of Tosh lashed out, long claws catching Mio across the face.

The bassist let out a scream of pain as she felt pain blossom on her face before she instinctively kicked the figure against the wall.

Ritsu couldn't move. She was too shocked by the fact that the boy she had saved had actually turned.

_B-but, he wasn't sick. H-He wasn't even b-bitten. W-Why… Why did he… n-no… t-this isn't right._

Another scream of pain instantly snapped Ritsu out of her thoughts as she finally realized what was going on.

The infected Toshi had quickly gotten up from being kicked and had lunged at Mio, knocking her to the ground before his claws began to slash at her, ripping her uniform in many places as she tried to evade the claws as best she could, but the pain from the claws to the face was making it hard for her to see. She quickly pushed him away with all her strength then turned onto her stomach.

Mio had tried to crawl away from the thing once it slashed her face and upper chest, but it instantly caught up with her and attacked her back as she tried to get away.

The others were now very much awake after hearing all the screams and each one of them were trying to pull the thing off Mio.

But it was latched on; claws digging even deeper into that pale skin.

"Mio-chan!"

"Mio-senpai!"

Ritsu couldn't take it.

She had to help Mio.

Even if it meant…

Ritsu's face became hardened as she searched the storage room for anything she could use. Her eyes fell on a shovel not to far from her and she quickly grabbed it.

Mio, on the other hand, couldn't believe the amount of pain she was in.

Those claws felt like daggers as they slashed away at her already ruined uniform.

She would cry out loudly each time someone tried to pull the zombie off her as it would dig into her and hold tightly; her pained yells would cause the others to let go, unable to really do anything.

The zombie was pretty much not even trying to bite her. It was pretty clear all it wanted to do was rip Mio to shreds.

As soon as she felt it dig into her shoulders, she heard a sob come from else where in the room before a loud clang could be heard.

Mio was vaguely aware that the pain had stopped before she felt hands pull her up.

Grey eyes scanned the area as she was helped to her feet and she noticed a now lifeless form of the boy they had saved lying face down in a pool of his own blood.

At least, most of it was his blood.

"Mio-chan! Kami-sama, she's bleeding a lot." Mio heard Tsumugi yell before she felt her torn shirt get pulled off before she was laid back down.

"Mugi, help me stitch these up, you know how to stitch right?" Nodoka said.

Soon words began to get garbled together as Mio felt something coat her wounds that caused intense pain, she cried out weakly before she felt hands work on getting the wounds stitched up.

Soon she heard someone mumbling softly and her stormy grey eyes opened up and she turned her head to one side.

Even through her teary eyes and blurred vision, she could see Ritsu sitting on the floor near the fallen corpse of Toshi, bloodied shovel lying on the floor next to them. The drummer was shaking visibly and it looked like Yui and Azusa were trying to comfort her while Nodoka and Tsumugi worked.

Mio couldn't take the pain radiating off Ritsu's being and she cried softly through her own pain as she choked softly on a sob.

"Hang in there Mio, we've got you." Nodoka said as Mio took shaky breaths while she and Tsumugi put medicine on the wounds as well as stitched them up.

After what seemed like hours for everyone, Mio was finally wrapped up and allowed to sit up with some help before Nodoka turned to look over at Yui and Ritsu. Both of them seemed to be talking in a low whisper; Yui had tears in her eyes, but Ritsu was practically sobbing uncontrollably.

Soon the guitarist pulled the drummer into her arms and hugged her tightly, allowing Ritsu to cry on her shoulder while Azusa rubbed her senpai's back, trying to help calm her down.

"S-Senpai? A-Are you going to be okay?" Azusa asked as she let out a soft whimper.  
Ritsu nodded a little before she quickly got up.

"Yui, come with me, I… I want to bury him." Ritsu whispered out as she looked at the brunette sitting beside her.

Yui nodded firmly before her eyes looked over at Mio, who now looked completely out of it as Nodoka searched the storage area for any form of shirt or clothing for Mio to wear since the uniform top had been ripped to shreds.

"What about Mio-chan?" Yui asked nervously.

"S-She… s-she's fine. Let's do this real quick…" Ritsu mumbled softly as she picked up the infected boy's body and walked towards the door that Azusa had opened up.

As the three girls disappeared outside, Jun and Ui quickly got down next to Mio and Tsumugi and looked over the wounds the girl had.

"A-Are any of them deep? I mean really deep?" Jun asked worriedly.

"Some of them are. Thankfully though the worst ones weren't anywhere near vital areas." Tsumugi said softly as she reached up to brush some of Mio's hair out of her face. The raven colored hair had been stained with her own blood and her stormy grey eyes were dulled with pain as she tried to keep herself awake. She didn't want to fall asleep. She wanted to comfort Ritsu. She needed to help Ritsu. She must have felt horrible after what had happened, and that thought alone kept Mio from slipping into the world of the unconscious.

"Mugi, here. I found a shirt we can use. It's kind of big, but it'll do." Nodoka said as she came back over to the others, handing Tsumugi the large black shirt.

The blonde nodded gratefully and helped Mio sit up slightly from against the wall and helped her friend into the shirt.

The movement caused Mio to hiss in pain before she slumped back against the wall.

"R-Ritsu…" The bassist mumbled as tears appeared in the corners of her eyes.

"Don't worry Mio-chan, she'll be back soon. Yui-chan and Azusa-chan went with her to bury Toshi-kun."  
"…R-Ritsu…" Mio wanted to say more, but it seemed that the pain was slowly numbing everything, including her mouth.

It wasn't long before Mio finally lost the battle with keep her consciousness and slipped into the painless darkness.

However, the last thing she heard Nodoka say disturbed her greatly.

"We have to be careful from now on with people… apparently the virus is mutating to the point where normal looking people are dangerous…"

* * *

Author Notes: I'm so sorry about the long wait on this chapter as well as the next chapter of I'll Sing. Last week was rough on me. I was pretty sleep deprived and I had constant headaches so I couldn't write more then one sentence an hour. But thankfully I'm now getting more sleep and don't have headaches anymore so! I hope you enjoy this chapter, it took forever to write XD…and let's see. The injured are Mio, Ritsu, Yui, Azusa, Jun and Ui. What do I have planned next? You'll just have to wait and see.

Beta Note: Yay my son finally got some action! –bounces up and down excitedly in her chair-


	14. War Zone

War Zone

Toshi was now buried.

As Ritsu surveyed her work, sweat dripping from her forehead as she dropped the bloody, muddy shovel to the ground before dropping to her knees in front of the makeshift grave.

Yui and Azusa looked on; they had offered to help, but Ritsu refused saying it was her job. It took a while for the drummer to make the small burial, but once it was finished and the deed done, Ritsu felt more at ease even though it still hurt to bury a child who looked exactly like her brother.

"Ricchan?"

Ritsu looked up as Yui sat beside her, looking very distraught and worried.

Azusa stood off a ways watching her senpai with a heavy heart.

"Are you going to be okay?" Yui asked, a sad frown on her face as she tried her best to comfort her grieving friend.

"Y-Yeah." Ritsu answered after a while. She ran her fingers through her messy golden brown hair before those sharp eyes looked over into chocolate brown. "I… I'm just… I guess I'm a little happier now. I… didn't get to bury my brother when… all this happened. I mean I know you made that little grave for him and everyone's parents, but. I didn't get to bury him myself. I thought, since Toshi looked like him, I was suppose to save him. I thought I was given another chance to be a good big sister." Ritsu mumbled out as tears ran down her cheeks. "But, no. Not only did he turn… but he hurt Mio in the process. I-I'm horrible…"  
"Oh Ricchan." Yui whimpered out, her tender heart reaching out for her friend. She slowly wrapped her arms around Ritsu's shoulders and hugged her tightly as the girl cried.

Azusa sighed softly as she watched Yui try to comfort Ritsu, though it seemed as though the drummer was inconsolable.

Her ears however caught the soft sound of something growling nearby and she quickly went into defensive mode. She took the shovel on the ground and held it up like a weapon while startling Yui and Ritsu out of their hug.

"What's wrong Azusa?" Yui asked while Ritsu quickly dried her tears before grabbing the shovel away from Azusa.

"Get behind me Azusa." Ritsu said rather mechanically.

The twin tailed girl did as she was told and quickly shifted over to Yui's side, the two of them going back to back as they heard more growling.

"Ricchan, I think we're surrounded…" Yui whispered, fear lacing her voice as they tried to peer into the darkness around them.

Ritsu wanted to just kick herself.

She had pulled Azusa and Yui out here to help her dig a grave. She didn't realize that doing this, they had dug their own graves.

Bloodthirsty zombies, rotting mouths opened for the kill, surrounded them and it was all her fault.

"Yui… Azusa?" Ritsu said softly as she felt her body shaking slightly.

The two lovers looked at her with worry on their faces.

"I'm sorry… it seems like I lead us to our deaths… it's been a nice fight though." Ritsu said as she smiled. "I'm really happy we made it this far."  
Azusa seemed stunned by this speech, but she did realize if they were surrounded and they were without weapons, they didn't have any chance to survive. As if accepting the inevitable Azusa nodded, tears in her eyes.

Yui clutched her fists tightly to her side and gave a firm nod as well, tears streaming down her face.

This wasn't how she imagined her last moments to be, but if it was going to be like this she wouldn't go down without a fight, even if she didn't have a weapon.

Ritsu turned back towards the darkness; ready to face whatever came out when a sudden bright light caused temporary blindness in all three girls.

They didn't have a chance to react as they heard a collective scream of pain all around them before gunfire sounded.

Ritsu was frantically trying to focus her eyes after being almost blinded, blurry figures were running to surround them as they shot at more blurry images. After a moment of gunfire, her eyes normalized and she was able to clearly see who had saved them.

She was expecting the military from the flare and the guns, but instead she was greeted by normal looking people.

They all looked to be slightly ruffled and their clothing a little dirty, but these were just normal people.

Ritsu blinked a couple of times as she looked over the new faces before a man walked up to her.

He looked a bit rugged, not like Goro and certainly not as crazed; his hair pulled back into a ponytail and dark brown eyes stared at her then they shifted over to Azusa and Yui.

Ritsu gulped a little, not truly expecting a warm welcome. After all, so far everyone they've met other then Sachi and Goro turned out to want to kill them.

"Are you girls immune?" The man asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Yes." Ritsu stated quite plainly as she stood her ground. They had an even less chance of surviving if these people were going to kill them, but they'd have to go through her first before they got to her friends.

Soon the man's face lit up and he patted Ritsu on the back hard, almost knocking her off her feet.

"Ah, that's amazing, to think girls like you were carriers too!"

Wait a minut-

Ritsu looked up quickly then noticed all the people had put their guns away and were now smiling reassuringly at the three of them.

"Good thing we got here just in time from our rounds, you were about to get jumped by at least ten of those pouncers." The man said as he smiled gruffly. "My name's Washi, what's yours?"

Ritsu tried speaking, but all that came out was a soft squeak before she quickly cleared her throat and tried again.

"T-Tainaka Ritsu. A-And these are my friends, Nakano Azusa a-and Hirasawa Yui."

"Pleasure to meet you," Washi said as he held out his hand to shake Ritsu's, the drummer slowly becoming less and less afraid of their situation as the pleasant man continued to smile, "How long have you girls been surviving in this hell hole?"

"I'm not sure… we kind of lost track of time. See, we were on a boat going towards an island, then this storm knocked us off course and we got stranded here… we don't even know where we are."

"That wasn't more then just two days ago, well that storm anyways. But I see, and how long before that?"

Ritsu shrugged once more at the man.

"Maybe a week? Tops."

"Just the three of you?" Washi asked, looking slightly concerned as he took in the bandages on Ritsu's arm and the bandages on both Yui and Azusa.

Ritsu's eyes widened.

"A-Ah, no no, we've been traveling with a few others, w-we… we just had to bury someone the others are in a secure place not too far from here."  
Washi saddened at this new information.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry for your lose… if there is anything we can do please don't be afraid to ask."

"No, it's okay," Ritsu said quickly as she looked at the grave nearby, "U-Unless you have somewhere safe for us to stay…"

Ritsu was testing her luck, trying to figure out if these people were as friendly as they let on.

To her surprise the man began to nod and he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Of course! It's in a hotel not too far from here. Why don't we go get your other friends and we can take you there. It's got many things; a warm place to sleep, a place to wash up, medical supplies, new... clothing," As Washi looked over the ruined uniforms on the girls Ritsu couldn't help but laugh nervously, "Oh, and we also have food."  
"Ricchan! They have food!" Yui was instantly at her commander's side looking extremely happy once food was mentioned.

Not only that, but Ritsu and Azusa's stomachs began to growl loudly at the mention of food, making them both groan softly.

"Sounds like you guys need a decent place to stay. So, let's go get your friends and head there. A-Ah, but before we go… we need to ask you a few questions about your group." Washi said as he suddenly became stoic.

Ritsu gulped softly, but nodded.

"You've all been immune for the week right? And ever since the outbreak? No one has gotten sick at all and miraculously recovered from the sickness?"

These questions confused Ritsu, but she knew if she didn't answer they wouldn't get to go.

"Yes, we've all been immune since this started, no one has been sick and just suddenly recovered, we have wounded, but that's different then being sick now isn't it? Why do you ask?"

Washi sighed with relief at the answers before he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, there's a new strain of the virus that no one has caught onto yet, but I've done some research on…" He said softly before frowning. "It happens in mostly children, but what happens is… they get the sickness, but then recover very quickly, either in a day or mere hours. But they are far from fine. They change into these little monsters that we've dubbed 'Little Ones,' we just wanted to make sure none of you were like that. We've lost quite a few people from those types of zombies."

Ritsu nodded softly.

"The person we buried was someone we just found that turned out to be… a Little One. He hurt… one of our friends. So, we need medical help as well as food and new clothing." Ritsu said sadly, trying to contain the emotions that were flowing through her at the moment.

"A-Ah, again, I'm sorry. But since it sounds like you're all good, let's go help them." Washi signaled with his hand and Ritsu began to lead them towards the shelter.

* * *

"Will Mio-san be okay?" Ui asked as she watched Nodoka and Tsumugi work on Mio's wounds from afar. Both her and Jun didn't want to get in the way, but from the looks of it Mio would need proper medical help if she was to survive the night.

Nodoka knew this and it pained her even more that Sachi was gone.

"I don't know Ui-chan. I just… don't know. Sachi-san would have been able to do a better job at cleaning these types of wounds and, Kami-sama, some of them are deep…" Nodoka whispered worriedly as she looked at the wraps.

She noticed that the blood had started to already seep through the medical bandages and that alone worried her.

Not only that, but Mio's wounds were also seeping that green blood–like substance. Nodoka was extremely curious and worried as to what that indicated.

"Then we should look for help, someone should be able to help her right?" Jun asked as panic began to work its way onto her face.

Nodoka was about to protest the idea when the door to the shelter opened and a man walked through.

"Jesus! She really is hurt! Quick get give me a med kit!"

Nodoka was pushed out of the way instantly as an unknown man made his way to Mio and just as she was about to retaliate Ritsu appeared behind her.

"Don't! It's okay, they're here to help." Ritsu said reassuringly as Yui and Azusa quickly walked back in.

Yui got down beside Nodoka and pulled her childhood friend into a firm hug.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Yui bellowed as she nuzzled the bespectacled girl's chest.

"What do you mean? You didn't go that far to bury Toshi did you?" Nodoka asked as she looked up at Ritsu while trying to push Yui off.

Ritsu ran her fingers through her hair and looked to the side, unable to hold a gaze with Nodoka.

"Actually… we got surrounded by zombies, these guys showed up just in time to kill them, but if they hadn't…"

Nodoka frowned at this new information and she picked herself up once Azusa had pried Yui's arms off her.

Now that there was some light in the shelter Ritsu could now clearly see the damage that had been done to her best friend and lover.

She could tell Nodoka did a good job at cleaning the wounds around her shoulders and chest, but the bandages on Mio's face did little to hide the claw marks that ran from one cheek across the bridge of her nose to the other cheek.

Ritsu was thankful those claws didn't even touch Mio's eyes. She was worried about what would happen if they had.

She watched as Washi and the others from the group made the bandages more stable around the wounds before Washi picked the unconscious girl up in his arms before turning towards the young girls.

"Alright, come with us. We'll take you all somewhere safe."

"Somewhere safe?" Ui repeated almost numbly.

They exchanged looks before Ritsu stepped up and nodded.

"Come on guys, we need a place that is secure… let's just do this instead of wandering aimlessly around these wastelands… Nodoka, you're with me right!" Ritsu said firmly as she shot the bespectacled girl a glance.

Nodoka thought about this for a moment.

They needed to be somewhere safe; being out in the wastes by themselves has only proven how venerable they were to being attacked. Not only that, Mio needed medical help; perhaps these people could provide that.

Finally Nodoka looked back into those concerned golden eyes of Ritsu's before nodding firmly.

"Okay, let's get out of here…"

Ritsu seemed to relax a little before smiling gratefully at Nodoka as the others began to follow the group of carriers out to begin their short journey to the hotel.

As they walked the roads towards the hotel, Nodoka's sharp eyes scanned everything and what she noticed one the way to the safe area was all the blast holes and bloodstains on the buildings. Not only that but there were many bullet holes that she could see as well.

Nodoka was a little put off by all signs of a struggle or battle but then she stepped on something hard that almost made her trip and fall. When she looked at what she had stepped on her eyes went wide behind her glasses.

There on the ground was a military man, half his face was blown off and the flies were buzzing around the torn _fresh _meat as Nodoka quickly backed away. One of the men ushered her to continue before Tsumugi quickly walked over and took her hand, helping her away from the grotesque sight before continuing to follow the group.

"Here we are! Home sweet home." Washi said as he grinned a little at the building in front.

The girls looked in awe at the fortified hotel.

The group that had saved them looked like they had set up make shift barriers all around the hotel to protect it from rushes and even Panzers, but not only that they had people in the top floors as look outs or snipers ready to pick off anything that came too close that wasn't a friend.

"Wow…" Jun whispered softly.

"Seriously…" Ritsu replied before following Washi quickly. "Where are you going to take Mio?"

"To the medical area, we have some pretty good medics there to help her. You're welcome to come and watch over her if you're that worried."

Ritsu nodded firmly and quickly followed before Washi stopped to turn towards the other girls.

"Make yourselves at home, the third floor has a lot of unused rooms you can use. You'll find clothing in them of all sizes so hopefully you can find something better to wear oh and the elevator is out, just use the stairs. Just relax and everything will be just fine. Oh, which one of you is the leader? I forgot to ask that." Washi said softly as he looked over the girls.

"Technically, I am… but we had someone else who was… better but she… she sacrificed herself so we could live." Nodoka said as she stepped up.

"I'm sorry again for your lose. Come with your two friends and me. We have things we need to talk about."

"Hai… Mugi, I'll be back okay? Go find us a room and meet me back in this area in fifteen minutes okay?" Nodoka said softly as she gave Tsumugi's hand a squeeze.

"Okay… I'll see you soon."

Nodoka smiled a little before walking away with Wash, Ritsu, and the unconscious Mio.

"Well, better go find those rooms, I'm dying to take a shower." Jun said as she and Ui walked towards the stairwell while the others followed silently.

"That wouldn't be a bad idea, I want to get out of these clothing and into something clean." Ui replied as she looked over her ruined school uniform.

"You guys go ahead, I'm… going to look around and see what I can find out." Tsumugi said as she waved to her friends quickly before wandering off in the opposite direction.

Once the others reached the third floor of the hotel they split up into two separate rooms to retire for the rest of the day. Yui was exhausted and wanted nothing more then to sleep before going to find food and Azusa couldn't agree more.

They would look at the clothing later, right now sleep was the only thing they wanted and right as they hit the comfortable mattress they both quickly fell asleep.

* * *

"Well this isn't too bad. It's a little warm though… I don't think the electricity works." Jun said as she walked over to the television to flip it on, but when nothing happened she flopped onto the bed and let out a soft sigh.

"Oh… the cloths are in here…" Ui said softly as she looked into the closet that she opened. After surveying some of the clothing inside she closed the door once more before walking over to where Jun was laying to crawl into bed with her before cuddling up beside her while closing her eyes. "How are you doing Jun-chan? You know… what all of this?"

The violet-eyed girl just shrugged a little before turning on her side towards Ui.

"I'm happy we're alive and hopefully safe now." Jun whispered as she stared at Ui's exhausted form.

The brunette then felt the bed shift slightly and as those chocolate eyes opened she began to blush deeply when she noticed Jun hovering over her.

"J-Jun-chan?" Ui stuttered out before she felt Jun lean in and press her lips against her own. Soon her eyes closed once more and she offered herself fully to Jun as she felt her friend and girlfriend begin to unbutton her ruined uniform.

"The new clothing is in the closet right?" Jun asked as she stopped unbuttoning the shirt half way while looking down at Ui.

"Y-Yeah… why do you ask?"

Jun smirked as Ui opened her eyes again; confusion was etched in those beautiful chocolate eyes.

"I asked so I can ask this… we've almost died a lot recently… you got hurt pretty badly too… and I know Yui-senpai and Azusa… did things with each other the last time we had a good place to stay and I'm sure Ritsu-senpai and Mio-senpai did the same thing. So I'm asking you… if it's okay for us to… t-to…" Jun mumbled as her face began to turn a bright red as Ui tilted her head slightly while watching her girlfriend stumble over her words.

"Are you… suggesting that we… d-do things? L-Like… s-s-se…"

"O-Only if you want to!" Jun yelled out as she blushed more. "I just… want you to experience that before we die-"  
"W-we're not going to die…" Ui felt her mouth go sour after saying that. Even she didn't believe it now. So after thinking the idea over a little while longer while Jun looked at her, waiting for the answer, Ui finally came up with a solution.

She smiled up at Jun, face bright with a blush as she nodded a little.

"O-Okay… just be gentle all right?"

Jun smiled widely before nodded firmly.

"Okay, so now that you said okay to that… let me get these ruined clothing off you." Jun reached out and, with both her hands, grabbed the part of the white dress shirt and pulled it apart, laughing as buttons popped off and went all over the place.

"J-Jun-chan!"

"That was easier then I thought it'd be. And don't give me that look Ui, it was falling apart anyways." Jun said with a smirk as she looked down at the now exposed light orange bra while Ui stared at her wide eyed.

Jun leaned in and began to drag her teeth against the brunette's collar as her hands slipped under her to fiddle with the bra strap.

"Just for right now… you can relax Ui."

"J-Jun-ch-a-ah!"

* * *

A group of young men gathered around a small fire chatting animatedly about how their latest kills were their most amazing and didn't even notice the young blonde girl walk close to listen.

"So there I was, the guy was just begging to be shot when all a sudden, bam! The dude was tossed like a rag doll by the panzer! I had a clear shot by then, I took my sniper, aimed for its head and-"  
"Uhm excuse me." Tsumugi said getting the group's attention.

The men raised their eyebrows when they noticed the new face before smiling kindly towards her.

"Hey, are you a carrier too? You look way too young to have to see the horrors of this land." One of the men said as they all shifted around to make room for Tsumugi.

The blonde sat down in between two of them men before folding her hands in her lap.

"Yes I am a carrier, and I actually have a few questions… would you mind listening to me and answering them for me?" Tsumugi asked as she gave all the men a pleasant smile.

"Sure kid, go for it."

"Very well… how much do you know about the virus that is in us, I mean us as in the carriers?" Tsumugi asked.

The men seemed stunned by the question before most of them nodded understandingly.

"It's good you want to know more about what's inside, and none of us really knew much about it till Washi figured it out. He told us more about it once he was sure his assumptions were correct." One of the oldest looking guys in the group said as he pulled out a cigar and when he was about to light it he turned to Tsumugi.

"Mind if I smoke?"

"Ah… no no, go ahead." Tsumugi said as she laughed nervously.

Another man continued the story.

"As carriers we are basically immune to changing through the normal ways. Being bitten, breathing in the virus, things like that. However, we aren't immune to changing."

Tsumugi looked shocked at this.

"What do you mean?"

* * *

"What do you mean we're not immune to changing? You mean we could become like those things out there at any time?" Nodoka asked as she and Ritsu watched Washi rebandage Mio after successfully medicating the wounds.

Nodoka had gotten curious to how much Washi knew about the carrier virus when she asked she and Ritsu got more then they could bargain for.

"What I mean is every carrier you meet is like a ticking bomb. They can change at any time in any way. Most of the time carrier change into… those special infected that you see. It's rare that they change into the normal infected, the regular zombie. But like I said before, it's only a small chance and that's why most of the people here know what to do if someone starts to change. We've seen at least ten people change. And everyone new person that comes to stay with us learns how to spot if someone is changing." Washi explained as he put a blanket over the unconscious Mio's body before patting her on the head.

"And how do you tell when they are about to change?" Nodoka asked as she frowned a little.

"Well for one they become more aggressive. The sight of blood excites them to the point where they would almost drink it. Some do if they are close enough to changing… It's really sad if you think about it… that one day even those who were thought to be immune will change eventually. But on the bright side being a carrier gives you… a few perks."

"A few perks?" Nodoka asked looking a little more confused.

"Yes, you heal faster then a normal human and your pain tolerance is literally through the roof. And you become stronger too, not like superhuman strong, but a lot stronger then normal."

"I see… that's interesting… however being a ticking time bomb…" Nodoka whispered as she turned to look over at Mio and Ritsu.

Ritsu looked down at Mio before pulling up a chair to seat beside her while stroking her hair.

"That's horrible… so no matter what we're dead…" Ritsu whispered as she closed her eyes tightly. "This day just keeps getting better and better."

"Hey, don't blame me, you guys asked… I just told you what I know." Washi said as he washed his hands in a bucket of water. "Why do you two get some rest? It's been a rough day-"  
"I'm going to stay here with Mio till she wakes up… you can leave if you want to Nodoka."

"Ah… okay Ritsu. Uhm, I'll be back to check on you two later okay?" Nodoka said as she started walking towards the door with Washi.

"Yeah… see ya." Ritsu said mechanically as she stared down at Mio's bandaged face.

Nodoka bid farewell to Washi and began walking towards the stairway to the third floor when she noticed Tsumugi about to ascend as well.

"Mugi!" Nodoka called out making the blonde turn towards her. It was then Nodoka noticed the faraway look in those sky blue eyes. "What's wrong Mugi?"

"Oh… I just learned something rather disturbing." Tsumugi replied softly.

"You too huh?" Nodoka said as she walked over and put a hand on the blonde back before the two of them began walking up to the third floor. "I did too."

"I talked with some of the residents here about our virus… it seems as though we're just… waiting to be-"  
"Zombies… yeah I know, Washi-san told me the same thing." Nodoka replied as they found an unoccupied room and walked inside before shutting the door. "I knew we weren't going to survive this, but I didn't realize that it literally could be any day now." Nodoka said as she leaned against the now locked door while hanging her head sadly.

She was surprised however to feel those silky hands cup her cheeks and tilt her head up so she and Tsumugi could stare into each other's eyes.

"I know it seems hopeless now… but we have to remain positive. It could be years before any of us turn from what I hear. But then again who would know? This virus has only been out for two weeks at the least? We have to remain hopeful… I don't like seeing you like this." Tsumugi whispered as she ran the pad of her thumb over Nodoka's bottom lip.  
"Mugi…" Nodoka whispered tenderly. In her heart, she knew Tsumugi was right; they had to keep living for as long as they could. They've gotten this far so it was still too early to give up.

Nodoka smiled kindly up at Tsumugi's gentle face and slowly pressed her forehead against the blonde's.

"Why haven't we talked more when we were in school?" Nodoka asked as she and Tsumugi began searching each other's eyes.

"I don't know. Seems like we would have gotten along quite well. I guess we just… had different friends we hung out with even though you are such good friends with Yui-chan." Tsumugi replied as she slipped her arms around Nodoka's neck and pressed her body closer.

The bespectacled girl swallowed hard when she felt that soft body press against her own and her eyes became half-lidded as she put her arms around the blonde's waist.

"Y-Yeah… I'm sorry we didn't talk more… we have time now… maybe we can…" Nodoka trailed off, feeling a bit more nervous when a thought popped into her head making her blush deeply. Tsumugi must have seen the blush for she began giggling softly before she leaned in and pressed her lips to the corner of Nodoka's mouth.

"No one lives forever… especially in times like this." Tsumugi said firmly.

Nodoka's eyes quickly searched those sky blue orbs.

Nothing else was said as Nodoka and Tsumugi read each other's body language and were able to realize what they both needed at the moment.

So Nodoka made the first move, she turned her head slightly and caught those lips that were still pressed to the corner of her mouth in a sweet and gentle kiss as she began walking Tsumugi backwards to the bed.

The two tumbled down onto the soft mattress before Tsumugi parted from the kiss and pulled those glasses off Nodoka's face before setting them down on the nightstand.

"You look cute without those on." Tsumugi whispered as she ran her fingers through that short dark brown hair.

Nodoka blushed and lowered her head to help relieve Tsumugi of any stress she might be feeling.

* * *

"…nugh…"

Golden eyes snapped open after hearing the soft groan of pain and Ritsu quickly sat up after taking a little nap to look down into Mio's face once more. She saw her eyes flutter and those beautiful stormy grey unfocused eyes stared up into worried golden.

"Mio?"

"… R-Rits…?" The alto bassist mumbled softly as she slowly pulled herself up into the sitting position, but not without some help from Ritsu.

"Hey, be careful… you're pretty banged up." Ritsu said softly as she kept an arm around her wounded lover. "How're you feeling?"

Mio stared at her flatly making the drummer laugh nervously.

"Sorry, stupid question… uhm… what hurts? Should I go grab a doctor?"

"Doctor?" Mio whispered as she began looking around slowly finally noticing she was somewhere different then before. "W-where are we?"

"Oh right, you were out for that… we're in a hotel turned outpost for carriers just like us. We're safe… for the moment." Ritsu said as she rubbed the taller girls back tenderly. "But seriously, does something hurt?"

"My whole body." Mio mumbled out as she rested against Ritsu, her eyes closing a little as she laid her head on the drummer's shoulder.

"I… Mio I'm so sorry this happened to you." Ritsu whispered as she kissed the top of Mio's head. "I shouldn't have helped him… but he looked so much like-"  
"I know. Don't w-worry about it okay?" Mio said as she looked up into those saddened golden eyes. "E-everything is fine now."

Ritsu nodded a little and sighed weakly before running her fingers through her loose bangs.

"W-What's wrong, Ritsu? You've got a look o-on your face I've… never seen before." Mio asked as she looked worriedly at the girl she had shared everything with.

Ritsu turned her head slightly to stare into concerned grey eyes before giving her a defeated smile.

"I'm tired Mio." Ritsu said weakly. "I'm tired of running… of remembering… I want to go home, but there's no home to go to." She said as she put her face into her palms as she laughed softly. "And I know for a fact… we're not going to survive this."  
"Don't say that-"  
"Look at us, Mio. The only two uninjured is Nodoka and Mugi… and they can't protect us forever. We're trying to run from something inevitable."

"Ritsu…" Mio whispered as she felt tears in her eyes. The one person she never thought would ever give up was slowly realizing something horrible was bound to happen to them. "Why are you saying all this?"

Ritsu looked up from her palms and she gave her lover a small reassuring smile before reaching out to grab those talented hands in her own.

"We learned something from these people… who are carriers like us by the way… but they seem to think we will change into zombies eventually. They don't know when though, some never change… others change within days. But… enough about that… do you want to get out of that skirt and into something more manageable?" Ritsu asked as she got up from her spot next to Mio.

The bassist nodded and with some help from Ritsu the two of them made their way to the third floor to look at the clothing options Washi was talking about.

* * *

Things seem to look up for the girls as they rested for nearly two days without anything happening. During this time they helped around the hotel, got new clothing that was more appropriate for the apocalypse, got to eat real food, learned how to properly use guns, and Nodoka and Tsumugi even got a lesson in taking care of the wounded better.

They were also pleased to see Mio up and walking around as well, but considering their virus it was to be expected.

They all felt a little better, more lively, more who they were before the zombie apocalypse started.

In fact, Yui was beginning to act more like Yui once more thanks to all the rest and food she got.

Azusa was happy at least for that, it was nice having those tender hugs and nuzzles again without the fear attached to them.

Even now as the girls sat around a table eating Azusa couldn't help but let her mind wander.

Nodoka had told her and Yui about their viruses and how they could eventually turn into a zombie at any moment. Even though this was distressing, Yui didn't seem at all phased by it. She blew it off rather quickly saying that they weren't going to turn and that nothing bad was going to happen.

Azusa subtly lifted the sleeves of her new long sleeved shirt to look at the burn marks that had now faded.

_Are we really safe? Is this where we are destined to spend the rest of our life?_

The thought caused Azusa to sadden when she realized she would no longer have a normal life when someone came running into the room looking completely out of breath.

"Everyone! Everyone that can hold a gun come to the entrance immediately!" The man yelled as he continued running through the hotel, shouting the same thing over and over causing people to run out with guns and weapons of all sizes.

"What's going on?" Ritsu asked as she and Mio stood up.

"I don't know, but we should probably go see." Nodoka replied as she and Tsumugi ran down the hall. The others looked at each other worriedly.

"Mio-senpai, maybe you should-"  
"I'm fine Azusa. I'll go too." As if asking for permission, those stormy grey eyes looked into worried golden. Ritsu shrugged slightly and nodded.

"Fine, just be careful. Okay?"

"I will, lets go."

Ritsu and Mio were next to run out followed closely by Jun and Ui.

Azusa moved to follow but noticed that Yui seemed to be stuck in one spot looking down at the ground sadly.

"Yui?"

The brunette didn't move and as Azusa got closer she could hear faint mumbling.

"… I thought… all the fighting would be over… n-nothing happened for two days…"

"Yui… it was inevitable. We live in a messed up world right now… all we can do is help with whatever is happening." Azusa whispered as she reached out and took Yui's hand in her own. "And I'll be there through out everything we encounter… okay? Come on. They need us."

Yui looked into those determined garnet orbs before swallowing hard and nodding softly.

They ran out of the room towards the entrance when they heard a loud explosion followed by screams of pain. Azusa noticed their friends watching in horror as two others brought a man back against the wall and both Azusa and Yui paled when they saw what had happened to him.

The wounded man was bleeding from head to knees and he seemed to have lost both his legs somehow and he was screaming very loudly.

"Oh my god." Azusa whispered as Yui grabbed her hand tightly.

"Put him out of his misery! There's nothing we can do for him!" Washi yelled as he tossed a small handgun towards one of the guys that was beside the wounded man.

Yui quickly turned away.

Azusa didn't have the luxury of having such a quick reaction time and witnessed the man shoot the wounded one in the head, ending his screams of pain quickly.

Azusa felt sick to her stomach after witnessing such a horrible death before she was yanked back by Yui to avoid being shot at.

The others looked just as shocked.

"What the hell is going on!" Nodoka yelled out, fear obviously running through her system as she pulled Tsumugi close to shield her from another blast of some sort.

"Military! They've been trying to kill us for the last week, before we found you guys they had stopped their attacks, I thought they were gone!"  
"Great! I don't want to have to deal with them again!" Ritsu yelled out as she and Mio hide behind the corner as bullets whizzed passed their spot.

"What do you want us to do?" Nodoka asked as Washi continued to shoot at the military men who were trying to force their way into the hotel.

"Help us!"

The girls instantly went into combat mode. Each one of them grabbing the nearest weapon they could find before moving to a window to shoot out of.

They were use to seeing blood shed, both human and zombie alike, they had just hoped they wouldn't have to deal with it so soon.

Jun and Ui were able to stop a few of the military people from getting in by shooting them rather quickly in the head before pushing the dead bodies out of the way so they could continue protecting their spot while Ritsu and Mio protecting them from right beside them.

Yui and Azusa even took up arms and got into position in a room right next to the entrance way and they opened the window up to pick off people they got close from that side.

Azusa could vaguely hear Yui whispering to herself as they shot more people.

"Think of this as a game… they're not real… getting points… it's not real."

Azusa was really beginning to worry about how all this was affecting the psyche her friend and lover, but before she could say anything to help her feel better she heard a soft "tink" as something hit the wall behind them.

Azusa looked over her shoulder and garnet orbs widened as she grabbed Yui around the waist and dove behind the flipped bed.

An explosion shook their room as a grenade exploded within it causing damages all around, but thankfully Azusa and Yui were all right for the moment.

The twin-tailed girl pulled herself off Yui only to be hugged tightly as the brunette cried into her chest.

"I hate this! I thought we were done with this! Azusa!"

"Y-Yui! Now isn't the time to get emotional... calm down it'll be okay-ack!" Azusa felt Yui pull her down to shield her from another grenade that was tossed near their hiding spot, this explosion causing the bed to rocket towards them before the legs hit the wall and stopped millimeters from crushing both her and Yui.

"Jesus! We have to get out of here!" Azusa yelled as she pulled Yui up and the two of them stumbled out of the room just as the ceiling collapsed in on itself.

"Yui! Azusa! Are you two okay?" Mio yelled as she and Ritsu ran over to them.

"Y-Yeah." Azusa said as she trying to compose herself while helping Yui to her feet.

"Onee-chan!" Ui yelled as she and Jun crawled towards them, trying to avoid getting shot at all costs before they finally got to the others.

Once Ui was in arms reach of her sister she put her arms around her tightly and hugged her with all her might, which Yui instantly returned.

"Where's Nodoka-chan?" Yui asked worriedly. "And Mugi-chan."

"Still fighting, everything's getting too crazy here." Ritsu said as she sat down near the wall to rest for a moment. "This is worse then fighting zombies. At least this time we are better prepared-" Ritsu instantly stopped talking when she noticed Nodoka and Tsumugi helping what looked like another wounded man further into the hotel.

"It'll be okay sir, just relax okay? Where are you hurt? Your stomach?" Nodoka asked as she watched the man double over in agony.

Tsumugi also tried to comfort him by putting a reassuring hand on his back.

However, once her hand touched him she instantly retracted it, she felt his skin rippling like something was crawling underneath it.

"Nodoka… s-something's wrong."

"What do you mean-"

Dark brown and sky blue eyes widened as the man yelled in pain and his voice began to get lower in octave with each moment before sounding completely unearthly. His body began to twist and snap in different directions and everyone nearby could hear the bones snapping as he began to expand and grow taller and more muscular.

"A-ah…" Tsumugi squeaked out as the man turned to her and roared in her face, the smell of rotting breath very potent now that he was almost fully changed.

He was a panzer now.

And a very angry one at that.

Nodoka's eyes went even wider when she noticed it had its sights on defenseless Tsumugi.

"Mugi! Run!" Nodoka yelled, but it was obvious that the blonde's legs were frozen in fear just like the rest of her.

Those sightless milky red eyes stared into terrified blue before the panzer raised his arms and swung.

There was pain, but not as bad as she thought. Then she felt air, like she was flying. However, she soon realized that she wasn't and she had been punched by the panzer and someone had softened the blow. They both skidded across the ground before hitting a wall nearly twenty feet in the opposite direction.

Tsumugi groaned softly before slowly moving her body to make sure it wasn't broken in any way. Once she was sure nothing was out of place she opened her eyes and looked down at the shaking body on top of her.

Her eyes widened when she noticed it was Nodoka and she was clutching her side tightly while panting heavily.  
"A-Are you all right… Mugi?" Nodoka asked as she slowly and carefully lifted herself up.

"N-Nodoka… you saved me?" Tsumugi whimpered out as she slide a hand across the wounded girl's cheek before she noticed a soft grin on her face.

"Of c-course dummy… you think what we did two nights ago w-was just for f-fun?... I r-really do c-care about you… I… I love you." Nodoka whispered weakly as she felt Tsumugi gasp softly before she was quickly hugged and rolled right as a large fist came down in their spot.

"Help!" Tsumugi cried out as she continued to avoid the deadly punches while bullets from both military and carriers were trying to kill the panzer that was attacking them.

"Mugi! What have to do something, get them out of there!" Ritsu yelled before yelping as a stray bullet nearly hit her shoulder. "God we can't even get close because of all the bullets, I'm surprised those two aren't dead yet themselves!"

Soon there was a loud thudding noise in the distance before an explosion caused most of the military people to stop shooting and run off as another explosion took out a few more.

This caused the panzer to stop what it was doing and roar loudly at the other carriers, who had also stopped shooting to figure out what just happened.

During this time, Tsumugi used her arm strength to pick Nodoka up quickly before running towards the hotel since they got knocked out of it.

The panzer gave chase, almost on their trail before a large military tank busted through one of the barriers and slammed into the panzer. There was a loud bone crushing noise followed by the panzer's annoyed roar because it couldn't get out from under the tank.

The group holding up the hotel watched in awe while the girls looked on stunned.

Tsumugi and Nodoka were on the ground mere inches away from the tank as the top opened and someone came out.

"What a shame… I was hoping that running the thing over would kill it."

"Look on the bright side Medic, I get to kill it the good old fashioned way now."  
"No Goro, you can't set it on fire."

"No way." Ritsu whispered as she watched Goro and Sachi crawl out of the tank before the medic put a shotgun in the panzer's opened mouth and pulling the trigger, ending its struggle to get up.

"Oh, I didn't expect to see you girls here. It's nice to know you survived." Sachi said as she smiled a little before Goro grinned widely.

"Kids! Come give your zombie covered crazy man a hug~"  
"Ew gross, no." Mio said flatly.

"Uhm… I thought you two were dead! How did you-" Ritsu mumbled incoherently while Yui, Azusa, Jun and Ui looked on wide eyed.

"You know these two?" Washi asked, just as stunned as everyone else.

"Y-Yes… they are friends… but enough of this… please help Nodoka!" Tsumugi yelled as she held the still shaking girl tightly in her arms.

"Oh my… Manabe-san… what did you do?" Sachi asked as she knelt down near Nodoka and placed a hand on the side that Nodoka was holding.

The bespectacled girl smiled a little.

"Sachi-san… you're alive." Nodoka whispered weakly.

"Shh, try not to talk, hmm... I don't feel anything broken… that's a relief. Guess you have some bruising though. Here, let's get you inside." Sachi said as she and Tsumugi helped the girl to her feet and began walking her inside. Goro followed closely behind glaring at the other carriers as they stared up at him.

"Well it's nice to see you two again. After what happened at the piers we thought… you were dead." Ritsu said as she smiled up at Goro as he walked by.

"Ah, quite a fight… two panzers and surrounded by fire. Remind me to tell you later once your friend is better."

"Hell yes! I need a good story!" Ritsu said excitedly as she and the others followed Sachi and Tsumugi to the medical area so they could properly bandage Nodoka up.

Azusa smiled brightly when she noticed Yui become more excited once they saw Sachi and Goro unharmed and alive once more. As they watched Sachi go to work on Nodoka and listened intently to how they survived from Goro, Azusa couldn't help but think their chances of surviving had once again gone up now that the two veterans were back.

_I'm sure of it now… things will get better. And Yui will be truly happy once again._

* * *

Author Note: OMG FINISHED! FINALLY! I am SO Sorry it took so long to finish, but I kept getting stuck x.x… And yes Sachi and Goro are back~ I luff them so much I couldn't keep them dead. X3 Also sorry about not going into detail with Jun/Ui and Tsumugi/Nodoka's sex scenes. Like I said before in my profile I can't seem to bring myself to write smut anymore since it usually kills the story I am working on so, I had to cut out the scene so it wouldn't kill virus. If I get my mojo working again I will definitely rewrite this and add those scenes in, but until then I'm sorry, you'll have to use your imagination. XD Forgive me –bows-

Beta note: Snrk. Mojo. –mind went to Trolls- ...Gorooooo! –clings to his leg- Oh I missed you soooo much~ And Sachi! –pounces her before getting dragged away by Wolfie- Noooo~

So did anyone else miss Goro and Sachi? I actually hate OCs, but I just love these two. –hugs Goro and Sachi plushies- So guys. The next chapter. Crazy shit going on. –gets her mouth taped by Wolfie-

...T^T


	15. United We Stand

United We Stand

"Major bruising and shortness of breath. Looks like you got out of that situation pretty well, Manabe-san." Sachi said as she pulled her hands away from Nodoka's ribs after wrapping the girl's torso up just to be on the safe side.

Nodoka had been quiet the whole time Sachi was examining her but once the medic was done, the bespectacled girl instantly hugged the woman tightly and buried her face into her shoulder.

The movement caused her to whimper softly but it was ignored as she clutched the woman tightly.

"I'm so glad you're okay… w-when you and Goro-san w-went down… I-I thought you… w-were-"

Sachi remained silent and allowed Nodoka to hug her before she pulled away and smiled like a mother would to a younger child.

"I know it looked bad… and I'm sorry we left you all to defend for yourselves… but all things considering… you did a good job at protecting them. Not to mention you did a good job on keeping their wounds bandaged-"  
"That… wasn't my doing. When w-we were brought here… these people redid the bandages. I was no good at all." Nodoka whispered as she hung her head in shame. She was once again the student under a superior teacher's gaze.

But once again, Sachi placed a hand on Nodoka's head and stroked the hair a little before hugging her once more very gently.

"You did fine. You kept them alive to see this place. And I'm sure they are grateful for that."

Nodoka nodded as she buried her face into Sachi's shoulder before she felt the medic lay her down once more.

"You shouldn't move too much but… considering the circumstances, you may have to." Sachi said irritably as she frowned at the bruises that were already turning purple on the young girl's side. "At least nothing is broken. It'll just hurt a lot if you move too much."

"I d-don't care." Nodoka hissed as she pulled herself back up and reached for her new shirt. "Mugi is worried about me-"  
"Mugi? You call Tsumugi-san by her nickname now?" Sachi asked as she smirked a little.

Nodoka went ridged for a moment before coughing softly into her hand as she hid her bright red blush from the medic.

"Yes. We've all grown quite close." Nodoka said as she quickly pulled the shirt on over the wrappings before standing up fully. She winced as her muscles slowly tried to release the tension in them before Nodoka doubled over on the medical bed. "Nugh… this kind of hurts."

"Well what did you expect, your muscles need to be eased into working again… take it slowly, stretch yourself."

"H-Hai."

Sachi walked over to Nodoka and put an arm around her to steady her before the two of them began walking towards the lobby.

Sachi almost stumbled a little when she saw a large group of people gathered around Goro, as well as the other girls as he was animatedly telling the story of their survival from the two panzers.

Nodoka laughed softly when she noticed the annoyed look on Sachi's face before the medic helped her to a couch and sat her down before crossing her arms over her chest and began glaring at Goro, who completely ignored her.

Tsumugi, who had been standing off to the side, noticed Nodoka was back and she quickly walked over to her and sat down beside her before turning her attention back on the story teller.

"So after the fire made the dock collapse, it was just me and the medic! Those two panzers were pissed too! Luckily they were on fire so they couldn't really see very well and we were able to dodge most of their attacks fairly easily!" Goro yelled as he smirked crazily at the girls who looked just as interested in the story as the other carriers; all of them smiling happily as they got to hear about how they survived such a horrible fate.

"Now it was about that time when Medic-san over there decided to grab one of the pieces of scrap metal that was sticking up from one of the wrecks that was below the dock and rammed it right up one of the panzer's jaw! I've never been so turned on in my li-"  
"Goro! No side commentary!" Sachi yelled as her face went slightly red.

"Ah, my bad my bad! Anyway, the thing keeled over and there was just one left. Keep in mind I was still pretty banged up from the spiky zombies so when I went to grab my pipe bomb, the panzer already had me in its hands squeezing me like I was a tube of toothpaste. I was finally able to grab the pipe bomb and I turned it on before stuffing it into its mouth forcing it to be swallowed. That's about the time the panzer let me go and me and the medic quickly dived into the water. Man it was raining panzer bits for at least two whole minutes!"

Most the men seemed pretty impressed by the story and were patting the large crazy man on the back while the girls all laughed softly.

"Well that does sound quite amazing, Goro-san." Ritsu said as she smiled brightly. She was happy to see the large man again; she was beginning to miss his crazy smile.

Azusa and Yui also nodded at Ritsu's statement before Yui stood up and pointed towards Mio.

"We got our own Panzer story too, Mio-chan actually killed one that was stuck in the side of our boat… or so I heard. She was apparently so brave, she put a shotgun in its mouth and pulled the trigger to kill it. It was amazing!"

Azusa rolled her eyes as Yui began to try and one up Goro with Mio's act of heroics, even though Sachi had done the exact same thing not more then an hour ago.

As Yui began her story, Azusa glanced around and was amazed at how one girl's smile could be so contagious.

That was one of the things she loved about Yui.

When she really smiled, no one could resist and had to smile with her.

Azusa was happy to see that smile again.

"Okay okay, that's enough," Washi interrupted as he walked back into the lobby looking both irritated and frustrated as he wiped the sweat from his brow, "get back to your positions men, now… I have to talk to these two new people."

There was a collective murmur from the men before they separated and began to walk back to their posts.

"You two are veterans at this right? You've killed plenty of those zombies to know what you're doing and how to do it right?"

Goro and Sachi spared each other a glance before the medic nodded firmly.

"Yes, we have… experience, as you say, in surviving. Why do you ask?"

Washi stared at the girls and wondered for a moment if he should say what he was about to say in front of them; they seemed pretty close to the new people.

"Well… I need some help and most of my men refuse to go to this place since it is crawling with infected… but the recent attack by the military has proven to be pretty fatal and we need what that place has."

"You're not making any sense little man, better tell us what you really want to say." Goro growled out as he stared at Washi flatly.

"A-Ah… okay. There's this power plant not too far from here… it's been shut down for a week because the military went in to shut off the power so nothing bad could happen to it while they tried to clean the area of infected, including carriers." Washi said firmly.

The story intrigued not only Sachi and Goro, but the girls as well.

"So?" Sachi asked as she looked skeptically at the leader of the carriers.

"So, I need someone with experience in 'surviving' to go in there and turn the power on so we can defend this spot better. If you could do that, everyone here would appreciate it."

"We'll even go with you guys, after all I don't want to be separated from you again, not sure I can speak for everyone else, but that's just how I feel." Ritsu said firmly as she grinned at the two veterans.

"I agree with Ricchan!" Yui said as she hooked her arm around her kouhai's.

The rest of the girls looked a little worried, but eager to help in any way possible since Sachi and Goro were being asked do to something dangerous.

"Absolutely not." Washi said firmly, a harsh frown on his face. "It's way too dangerous for girls like you to go in there. The stakes are too high."

"So it's too dangerous for us to go in," Nodoka said softly as she sat up a little, her arm curling around her tender ribs, "but it's not dangerous for Sachi and Goro? We've survived plenty to know how to fight… the more people that go the more of a chance Goro and Sachi will survive."

Yui nodded firmly at Nodoka's words even though she was very worried once Nodoka stood up to prove how serious she was about this.

"Nodoka, don't push yourself-" Tsumugi started, but she stopped talking once Nodoka reached out and grabbed her hand tightly.

"I'll be fine Mugi." Nodoka whispered as she gave her a reassuring smile.

"The answer is no, you'll die if you go in a place like that." Washi said as he crossed his arms. "I'll give you two some time to think about that, I have supplies to give you once you're done with your task and anything else you want. But again, no rush… think on it." The leader of the carriers turned away from the small group and walked back to his room.

Yui pouted loudly as she turned to Goro and Sachi, fist clenched in determination.

"I don't like the idea of you two going alone! What if you die!"

"Yui…" Azusa whispered tenderly as she reached out to grab a hold of one of Yui's clenched hands.

Sachi smiled a little motherly before she shrugged her shoulders.

"It's probably best that you girls stay here… after all you've been through so much. Why would you even want to risk your lives to make sure we live?"

"Because you did the same to make sure we survived." Mio said softly. Ritsu nodded as she smiled at her girlfriend a little before kissing her temple softly.

"Yeah. It's only fair that we help you now. Can't you try and get Washi-san to let us go with you?" Jun asked as she and Ui looked over the others to see if they felt the same.

"What Jun-chan says is true. We just want to help you like you've helped us." Yui replied as she stood up and forced a smile onto her face once more.

Azusa began to get a little worried when she noticed the hidden sadness beneath that smile, because she didn't want to fight anymore as well. But it was something they owed Sachi and Goro.

The two veterans looked at each other before turning their eyes towards the young girls.

"Well I guess. It'd be nice to be able to work with all of you again." Sachi said softly, her voice full of weariness.

"All we'd have to do is convenes mister leader man over there, then we'll head out. Though I suggest you girls get some quality time together before then. If this is as dangerous as it sounds… well… you want to make your peace with everyone." Goro said, the crazed look no longer in his eyes as he stood up to walk with Sachi towards where Washi went.

"What does he mean by that?" Yui asked softly, worry in her eyes.

Nodoka stood up fully with Tsumugi's help and walked towards her childhood friend, giving her a sympathetic look before putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yui… with how dangerous it has been the last few days… and with that warning from Washi-san… I wouldn't doubt that… this might be someone's final mission. Or all of ours…"

Yui looked taken aback by the words Nodoka whispered and she looked over all her friend's faces as the bespectacled girl continued to talk.

"Mugi is the only one who isn't hurt in some way and I'm sure she can't defend us all by herself. We all have to fight no matter how hurt we are if we are going to go with Goro-san and Sachi-san. And I…" Nodoka looked down slightly and closed her eyes as Tsumugi grabbed her hand. "… I can just hope we all make it out alive."

"Nodoka-chan…" Yui whispered as she stared wide-eyed at her friend.

Before Nodoka could say more she felt a weight flop against her and arms wrap around her tightly. It took her a few moments to realize that Yui had flung herself at her and was now hugging her with all her might.

"I don't want any of us to… to go… we all have to live! We just have to."

"Yui-chan." Tsumugi whispered as she reached out to stroke the back of Yui's hair tenderly while everyone gathered closer. "If we stay together, we'll be fine. That's the key right?"

Yui nodded a little then looked down slightly before Azusa put a hand on her back and turning to the others.

"Well, while Goro-san and Sachi-san are working to persuade Washi-san to let us go, how about we head back to our rooms and prepare ourselves."

They all agreed before splitting up to go to their rooms to mentally and physically prepare themselves for this journey.

* * *

"Hey Ritsu, can I ask you something?" Mio mumbled as she shut the door behind her girlfriend before the two of them shared a tender look.

"Sure, what's on your mind?" Ritsu replied as she stood in front of the mirror and began messing with her hair.

Mio watched for a moment before walking up behind Ritsu to pull her hair back as if she still had her headband in.  
"I miss your headband… even though you do look nice with your hair down, it kind of… was a part of you." Mio whispered as she hugged the golden haired girl close to her body before allowing the hair to fall back into place.

Ritsu smirked a little before leaning against Mio before closing her eyes.

"You're worried about this aren't you?" Ritsu said as she lifted her hand to stroke around the bandaged area on Mio's face.

The raven haired girl nodded slowly before pressing closer to Ritsu from behind.

"I can't help it… remember what we talked about… coming to terms with what's going to happen. It's inevitable isn't it…?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. We can always try to survive as best we can… like we've been doing." Ritsu said as she buried her face against Mio's neck, inhaling her sweet scent before smiling a little. "It's weird that we just now started dating. We should have dated months ago. I would have loved taking you on a date." Ritsu said once more as she pulled away to look up into those grey stormy eyes.

"Me too Ritsu…" Mio mumbled as she leaned in to press her lips against her childhood friend's before pulling away slowly to inhale deeply.

"Well. Shall we go?" Ritsu asked.

Mio gave a firm nod and the two of them walked out the door to the lobby.

* * *

"You can't do this, even if you say we have to, you're way too hurt to be doing something like this." Tsumugi said worriedly as she watched Nodoka pace the room while her arm stayed curled around her ribs.

The bespectacled girl turned her head and gave her girlfriend a sympathetic glance.

"Mugi. I'll be fine. Just give me a few hours for the pain pills to kick in then I'll be as good as new."

"You know as well as I do that this is a horrible idea. We have a better chance of living if we just stay here. We can live and be happy…"

"And you know that our time is limited whether or not we stay here… You saw that carrier change. Hell, I saved you from it… we don't have much time as is. All of us could change soon." Nodoka said firmly as she sat down on the bed and ran her fingers through her short dark brown hair.

She felt the bed shift as Tsumugi sat down beside her and she leaned against her shoulder before closing her eyes.

"I-I know. I just… wish our lives weren't doomed from the start." Tsumugi whispered pitifully, causing Nodoka to sigh softly before slipping an arm around the blonde's waist.

"I feel the same." Nodoka said as she hugged Tsumugi close by the waist before sighing softly. "What I wouldn't give for things to be normal again… to go home and see my family once more. But I know things will never be the same again. But if there is a chance that Yui and Ui can see their parents again… I'd want to help them with that." Nodoka said as she sat up fully and looked Tsumugi in the eyes. "Those two really don't deserve to be in a place like this. Both of them are too innocent and they don't… shouldn't be here."

"You really are a good friend to Yui-chan… I know she really appreciates you." Tsumugi said as she kissed Nodoka's cheek before hugging her tightly. "We all appreciate what you've done for us. You really were a good leader, whether you thought so yourself or not."

Nodoka smiled a little and she turned her head to catch Tsumugi's lips in a gentle and tender kiss before pulling away to stare into those blue eyes.

"I love you Mugi. I'm sorry we didn't get to talk more in school-" Nodoka was silenced as she felt Tsumugi move back in to kiss her once more, cutting off her apology.

"I know. It's okay. We'll do what we can with time now… after we help Goro-san and Sachi-san with this mission thing that Washi-san wants to send them on."

Nodoka nodded slowly and she watched as her girlfriend got up and walked to the door to open it. The blonde turned to look back at Nodoka giving her a smile.

"Let's go."

Nodoka smirked a little and slowly got up onto her feet to follow her willingly.

* * *

Ui watched over Jun as the pigtailed girl took a short nap.

The brunette couldn't help but let her eyes wander over Jun before they came to rest on her damaged ears. She slowly crawled on top of her girlfriend's body and leaned down to kiss along the rim of the exposed ear before feeling the girl below her shift and giggle softly.

"Ooooi, that tickles." Jun mumbled as she slowly woke up and even though she was smiling before, it quickly turned into a worried stare when she noticed Ui wasn't smiling back.

"What's wrong Ui?"

"… I'm just worried about this plan… that's all." Ui whispered as she closed her eyes and buried her face into Jun's neck, allowing the younger bassist to wrap her arm around her tightly.

"Worried cause Washi-san said we would die if we went?" Jun asked as she kissed the side of Ui's head before stroking up and down the worried girl's spine.

"Yeah." Ui breathed out as she closed her eyes and sighed softly against the skin of Jun's neck. "We talked about this before… and I know you hate it when I repeat myself… but I really am worried that this may be the end for us if we go."

"I know what you mean, this plan has death written all over it. Yet, we can't just let Goro and Sachi-san go all by themselves… and it's not like we're going to live much longer anyways. Washi-san said we have the chance to turn… just like everyone else." Jun said softly as she frowned hard before pulling Ui away so they can look at each other. "I don't want to do this… but it's better then changing and dying… don't you think? I'd hate to have to… shoot you if you turned." Jun choked on her words as she said this, but it was true. She didn't want to do such a thing. And she could tell by the look in Ui's eyes that she felt the same.

"Still… it's the lesser of two evils."

"I know… look on the bright side, when we get out of this we can live as long as we can… we'll probably even work to try and see your parents again. They're in Germany still right?"

"I have no idea anymore… if they somehow got back here, that'd be amazing… but I'm pretty sure they think Onee-chan and I are dead." Ui whispered sadly as she sat up fully and looked at the door. "I don't want to go… but we should get going… the others must be waiting for us by now."

Jun looked over at the door as well and nodded slowly.

"Yeah… before we go though," Jun whispered as she grabbed Ui's hand and put her other hand behind the girl's head and pulled her in for a kiss. Nothing fancy, just a small tender kiss, "I love you Ui… and I'm glad we could spend time with each other, no matter how short it may seem."

Ui looked at Jun stunned for a moment before smiling a little and leaning in to kiss her once more before the two of them stood up and walked towards the door.

"Me too Jun-chan… me too."

* * *

As Yui and Azusa walked into their temporary room, Azusa couldn't help but feel that Yui was a bit worried and upset about even more fighting.

The kouhai sighed softly as she shut the door before walking over towards her senpai and girlfriend and those garnet orbs looked over the brunette with a concerned gaze.

"Yui… are you okay?" Azusa asked.

She knew the answer to that question right as she asked it, but she didn't want to force Yui to open up about all her issues with what had happened over the past few weeks.

When the brunette didn't answer, Azusa was about to place her hand on Yui's back when the older guitarist finally turned around, eyes brimming with tears.

"Azusa… I don't want to do this… I don't want to fight anymore… I-I mean I want to help Goro-san and Sachi-san too… but… what if Nodoka-chan is right? What if one of us g-gets hurt. I can't stand that!" Yui yelled as she looked down at the ground allowing the tears to flow freely. "H-How c-can you be so strong, Azusa? I… I feel like I'm falling apart."

"Yui…" Azusa whispered as she quickly walked over and embraced the older girl allowing her to have a shoulder to cry on. "I… honestly think that… if it wasn't for the f-fact that our friends survived with us… I wouldn't have been holding up as well as I am. We still have family… we have each other. And that fact keeps me going." Azusa said softly as she leaned up to cup Yui's face, stroking the tears away with her thumbs before placing a tender kiss on Yui's forehead. "And your love for me… keeps me going as well… I'm happy you told me about your feelings… even though I worry about you so much."

Yui blushed a little at this and a small smile forced its way onto Yui's lips before the brunette hugged Azusa even closer.

"I love you Azusa… you keep me from falling apart you know…"

"I know… but Yui… what would you do if… I did die?"

As soon as Azusa asked the question she could instantly feel Yui tense up and more tears began to cascade down her cheeks.

"W-what?... W-Why would you ask that?" Yui asked as she looked at Azusa unbelievingly.

"… Yui… you can't be that dense can you?... We're in the middle of what is quite possibly the last few days of our lives… I've… come to terms with that fact that I may die since we aren't immune to changing… so what would you do if I died or changed?" Azusa asked as she looked straight into the unfocused eyes, seeing the renewed fear and denial in them.

"Y-You're not going to die. You'll be f-fine! You'll l-live with me a-and everyone else… w-we'll all make it a-aliv-"

"Yui! Think logically for a moment!" Azusa snapped causing Yui to look away sharply. "You can't keep living in this denial…"  
"I don't want to think about that! The thought of you or anyone else dying i-is too much for me… I-I can't… p-please don't make me…"

At the sound of the broken plea, Azusa closed her eyes and sighed softly as she kissed the top of Yui's head as the older guitarist broke down, crying softly into the kouhai's shoulder.

"G-Gomen ne, Yui… I just… I don't even know what I wanted to accomplish by asking that. Calm down… please." Azusa whispered softly as she tried to soothe her senpai's fears away by stroking her hair tenderly.

Yui shook her head firmly against Azusa's neck as she allowed her tears to flow freely while hugging onto her young girlfriend's body tightly.

After a few minutes passed, Yui finally calmed down enough to pull away and rub her eyes dry before she stared into Azusa's mournful garnet eyes.

"Azusa… can you promise me something?" Yui asked softly as she ran her fingers through that black hair.

"What is it?"

"Promise me that you'll stay by my side when we go to this power plant place… I don't want to lose you." Yui whispered as she cupped Azusa's cheeks and pressed her lips against the corner of her mouth, giving her a gentle kiss.

Azusa's heart thumped heavily against her chest as she closed her eyes and nodded softly.

"I'll try."

"Thank you." Yui whispered before she pulled away slightly from those lips before she felt arms snake around her neck and pull her back in. The two shared a caring kiss before they pulled away to grab some supplies and head back down to the lobby to wait and see if Goro and Sachi were successful in getting them to join the mission.

Yui and Azusa were the last ones to show up in the lobby and they could tell by the look on their friend's faces that they were just as worried as they were about the outcome of Sachi and Goro's talk with Washi.

Nodoka looked ready to pass out by the time Sachi returned with Goro by her side as well as Washi.

"Okay girls, you're in." Washi said.

Before the girls could celebrate in anyway, Washi quieted them before continuing.

"But only if you take a few of my men with you. Two of them will stay by your side for the whole trip while the others will stay outside and make sure no more zombies will enter the building. I want you to also take this." Washi said as he handed Sachi a small blue rolled up paper. "It's the blue prints of the power plant. Something one of our scouts found a while back. Use it to your advantage…" Washi said as he sighed softly. "I also want you to take this flare gun and shoot it off once you got the power up and running.

Sachi nodded silently before turning to Nodoka and handing her the items.

"Here, I trust you more then these people we just met… hold onto them."

"Yes ma'am." Nodoka replied as she put the blue prints in her vest for safekeeping and hooked the flare gun on her belt.

Yui watched as Goro shot Sachi a worried look before Washi ushered a few of his men to stand around.

"You'll take six of my men for backup and these two… my best men… will go with you into the power plant. Take whatever supplies you'll need. However." Washi said firmly as he frowned at the small group of girls. "You have five hours to get the power up… if it's not up by then my men will come to find your corpses…"

The girls visibly paled at this before they nodded understandingly.

"We'll be fine mister leader man," Goro growled out as he smirked crazily, "the girls are under my protection. Anything that wants to get them will have to go through me."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about… either way just… be careful." Washi said as he motioned with his head towards his men who all began running outside.

"We have all the supplies we'll need in our tank." Sachi said as she put a hand on Nodoka's back and began pushing towards the exit. "We'll see you when we get back."

As Nodoka and the others began to exit the hotel, she could have sworn she felt Sachi waver a bit before steadying herself as Goro opened up the tank and hopped inside.

"It's gonna be a bit cramped, girls. So someone may have to sit in someone's lap~"

"Oi, don't be a pervert, Goro!" Ritsu yelled as she and Mio climbed up into the tank as well.

Once everyone was in the tank, all that was left outside was Sachi and Goro. As the medic moved to crawl into the turret gun spot, she felt a strong grip on her arm tugging her back.

"You doing okay medic… you're looking a bit pale."  
"I'm fine Goro. Don't make a big deal out of this…" Sachi said as she yanked her arm away.

Goro frowned and shrugged.

"Fine, I'll get to driving then-"

He was cut off by smooth lips against his own and his crazed eyes went wide once he noticed Sachi was actually kissing him. It was a firm, shaky kiss. One full of fear.

Goro slowly realized what this meant and he kissed back a little before pulling away.

"Better be careful… Sachi."

"I will…" Sachi said as she smiled a little before getting behind the turret gun as Goro crawled into the tank to drive it.

"Well damn! It's crowded in here~" Goro yelled as he got into the driver seat and turned the tank on.

"You told us to get in here, so we did!" Jun yelled as she put her arms around Ui's waist, keeping her on her lap safely.

"Okay, okay, well hold on tight to whatever you can, we're heading out!" Goro said as he grinned before he started driving the tank towards its destination. As they drove the men assigned to protecting them followed closely behind on a military truck.

Azusa looked around the cramped compartment in the tank at each one of her friends and senpai, noting the worried looks on their faces as well as adrenaline trying to spike in their systems even though nothing had happened yet.

She could easily feel this happening within Yui. The poor brunette was trying her hardest to keep still, but couldn't stop squirming around nervously while holding onto Azusa's hand as tightly as she could.

"Yui… you're kind of hurting my hand." Azusa had to whisper softly which caused Yui to instantly loosen up a little before she turned to her kouhai to give her a small smile.

"Gomen ne… I'm just worried."

"We all are Yui." Azusa replied as she heard the turret gun start to go off while Goro began laughing loudly.

"Yes! That's a good girl! Man, that medic sure knows how to fight." Goro growled out huskily as he continued to drive, not bothering to shoot anything with the actual tank gun since it didn't seem that bad.

"Goro! You can stop now, we are near the power plant gates!" Sachi yelled from on top of the tank.

The girls felt the tank come to a slow stop before the crazed man turned it off and he began climbing out of the tank.

"Well… let's go guys, it's now or never." Ritsu said firmly as she crawled out next. Mio, then Nodoka and Tsumugi, then Ui and Jun followed her.

Yui and Azusa looked at each other before Azusa took the lead and crawled out with Yui.

The landscape where they were was a bit grassy and some of it was partially burnt down, but thankfully, it looked like the fire had died right before it got to the outer walls of the power plant.

"Ma'am, we're ready to set up a perimeter around the building so you and your team can go in." One of the carriers said as they unloaded the truck nearby.

Sachi nodded numbly as she walked over to the entrance of the power plant and rested her forehead against the door.

"What's wrong with Sachi-san?" Tsumugi asked worriedly as she finally noticed how pale the medic was getting.

"I don't know… she got like that before a little bit before we showed up to save you… stay here I'll go talk to her." Goro said as he walked over to the medic and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you holding up alright? Are you catching something?"

"I… I-I don't know. I feel rather ill now… I'm going to go s-see what the so called escorts brought us… can you get these doors opened while I do that?" Sachi asked as she wiped the sweat from her brow and turned to walk towards the two carriers that were standing nearby.

Azusa watched as Goro forced the doors opened with little effort before she heard a gasp followed by a confused grunt.

"Ma'am? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Azusa quickly turned to see Sachi doubled over on the ground shaking violently as one of the escorts was kneeling down next to her shaking her slightly.

"She's burning up, maybe we should send her ba-G-Ga-a-h!"

What Azusa saw next caused her to let out a shriek of fear and her eyes went really wide as she watched Sachi grip the man's upper torso and ripped it clean from the hips.

Intestines and other bloody inners fell onto the ground as Sachi dropped the torso to the ground before her head snapped towards the girls.

Those kind blue eyes no longer blue, but a deep blood red that glowed faintly.

"O-Oh g-god." Nodoka mumbled numbly as she watched the carrier choke on his own blood before the other carrier that was suppose to escort them tried to subdue Sachi.

"Help! Help! She chang-" His speech was cut off as the zombified Sachi gripped his head and yanked it off before sinking her teeth into the body.

"Get back!" Goro yelled as he pushed both Nodoka and Ritsu away, which caused Sachi to set her eyes on the crazed man.

"G-Goro, y-you can't! It's Sachi-san!" Yui yelled as she quickly grabbed hold of the man's arm, trying to plead with him to not kill her.

"Sorry kid… she wouldn't want to be like this. You uuuuh… glasses girl! Take your friends into the power plant and finish the job. I'll take care of Sachi." Goro instructed as he pulled his arm from Yui's grasp and pushed the brunette into Nodoka's arms.

"B-But-"  
"Go!"

With a distressed noise, Nodoka tugged Yui towards Azusa and allowed the kouhai to grab her lover's hand and pull her into the building as the others ran in as well.

However, one stayed behind.

Nodoka's dark brown eyes noticed Tsumugi staring at the torn up carriers with a rather odd look on her face.

She seemed entranced by the blood.

Nodoka didn't think too much longer on it as she ran over and grabbed her girlfriend's hand and practically dragged her to the building.

The sudden movement snapped Tsumugi out of her trance and she began running with Nodoka as Goro pulled out a Molotov and stared the zombified Sachi down.

"You know I have no problem taking on things like you… you told me once already that if you turned… I had to kill you."

The zombie of Sachi just growled lowly at him, staring intently waiting for him to make the first move.

Goro's eyes shifted to watch the door to the building close as Nodoka and Tsumugi finally got in.

Once he was sure they couldn't see him, Goro tossed the Molotov at Sachi but was surprised when she quickly dodged it and ran straight at him with a speed he didn't think the zombies possessed.

He reacted like he normally did and backhanded the zombie away from him before pulling out a small sawed off shotgun from his jacket and was about to turn to set it on Sachi when he felt teeth dig into his hand.

Sachi had somehow gotten up faster then he anticipated and had bit into the hand with the shotgun in it making him drop the weapon before she grabbed hold of him and tossed him easily towards the building before giving a loud roar of anger.

Goro growled as he skidded across the ground before he tried to get up as fast as he could, but once again he felt teeth, and this time them caught him in a rather vulnerable place.

He could hear the gashing of bone and muscle as Sachi feasted on the spot between his neck and his shoulder and the pain actually caused his legs to collapse right out from under him.

He quickly head butted the zombie making her fall off him and he rolled to get on his knees to try and get up.

But Sachi had other plans; as soon as his back was bared to her she quickly lunged and sunk her teeth into the base of the back of his neck making him yell out in pain as he began trashing to get her off.

He was successful, but at the cost of a huge chunk of flesh getting torn off as well.

He turned to stare the zombie in the eyes but once again, Sachi was too fast.

She had already gotten up and was once again lunging for him; this time she dug her teeth into the poor man's trachea.

Goro felt blood fill his throat and his vision began to blur as he struggled with one hand to try and pry Sachi off. Once he realized the zombie wouldn't let go till it wanted, he began searching his jacket for one last weapon with his free hand.

Sachi pulled away and sneered down at the crazed man and was about to dig back into the wound when Goro pulled out a combat dagger and quickly stabbed the zombified Sachi through the neck.

She gave a gargled death cry before slowly slumping in Goro's arms.

Goro's eyes stared at the slowly dying zombie on top of him and he slipped his arms around the form before burying his face into the bloodied hair.

"…'m s-sorry…"

He gave Sachi a small kiss on her bloodied lips before his head fell backwards and his arms went limp.

The wound on his neck too much for him to bear as he slipped from the world of the living right alongside Sachi.

* * *

Author Notes: Yes… yes… things are going to only get worse from here… and there is a reason I didn't post this till I was finished with the last chapter… and that is all I have to say.

Beta Note: Nooooo Gorooooo~ -mourns his death-  
…right so. Shit is getting epic. Like seriously guys.


	16. Divided We Fall

Divided We Fall

As soon as Nodoka and Tsumugi got the doors closed, they both fell against the cold metal frame and slide down until both of them were on the ground panting heavily.

Nodoka didn't know what to say.

They had just witnessed yet another person change that was supposed to be immune.

And this time, it was Sachi.

Nodoka closed her eyes tightly and tried to get it out of her head that Goro wasn't going to make it since Sachi seemed to be stronger then a normal zombie, yet she still kept her normal appearance.

It was so surreal watching someone you've grown to care for like a mother tear someone in half.

"Y-Yui, snap out of it. W-We have a job to do."

Nodoka opened her eyes and turned to look over at the others.

They looked just as shocked as she was; however, the one most affected by the sudden change was Yui.

Azusa was sitting beside the brunette shaking her slightly, trying her hardest to get Yui out of her trance. It seemed as though Yui was trying desperately to find her happy place, muttering to herself and staring unblinkingly at the floor.

Nodoka saddened at this and slowly got up and walked over to her childhood friend.

"Ui come here, she needs you." Nodoka said softly.

Ui nodded shakily as she left the comfort of Jun's arms to walk over and kneel down with Nodoka beside the distraught Yui.

"O-Onee-chan… it's okay. W-We're still alive, please snap out of it." Ui whispered as she reached out to pull Yui into a firm hug.

Everyone jumped as Ritsu kicked over a garbage can and let out a frustrated yell before punching the wall next to her.

"Goddamnit! Why'd it have to be her! Son of a…" Ritsu mumbled softly as she continued to punch the wall hard.

Mio quickly grabbed Ritsu's hands before she did any more damage to them and pulled the drummer into a hug.

"Hey, calm down…" Mio whispered as she tried to calm Ritsu down.

"But… Sachi-san…" Ritsu replied solemnly.

"Look, I know we're all… upset about this, but we have a job to finish. We owe that much to Sachi-san." Nodoka said as she looked down at Ui and Yui.

Ui gave Nodoka a concerned look before going back to stroking Yui's hair as the older Hirasawa continued to mumble to herself.

Azusa finally had enough, they had to get moving for they didn't know what could be in this building, and so she did what any sensible kouhai would do.

She pulled Yui away from Ui and gave her a rather harmless smack on the cheek.

Chocolate eyes finally looked livelier and they stared in shock at Azusa's actions.

"Don't give me that look. You were completely out of it." Azusa said as she gave Yui a kiss on the cheek before standing up. "So, what's the plan now? What do we do?"

"I was looking at the blue prints a little before we stopped… there are four rooms, each with their own power switches. I'm guessing this is to cycle the power so it doesn't get overloaded if it gets turned off." Nodoka replied as she pulled out the map and sat it down on the ground and the girls gathered around to look. "I was thinking if we split up into four groups of two, we should be able to turn them all on and get the power running before we get out of here."

"I don't like this plan already." Yui said firmly as she began to frown at her childhood friend.

Nodoka looked up in confusion.

"Why's that?"

"Because we're splitting up. We need to stay together. If we do that then everything will be fine-"

"Yui, you know we can't do that. Washi said we had five hours to finish this and two have already gone by from traveling. If we split up, we can finish the task faster and more efficiently." Nodoka argued as she began to frown as well.

"But what if one of us dies!" Yui yelled causing everyone to hold their breath.

They were all thinking the same thing; they were worried about each other and splitting up did seem like a bad idea. But Nodoka seemed pretty confident in their abilities so why worry so much?

Nodoka pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and sighed softly.

"Yui… everything will be fine. Okay? If something bad happens we'll just run for the exit. The other carriers and Goro are probably waiting outside."

Yui seemed to take this as a reasonable response before nodding slightly before allowing Nodoka to continue with her plan.

"Okay, so… here's what we need to do. Ui and Jun will take the room closest to the exit, that way if they hear anything bad they can make a run for it since they are the youngest. You understand that you two?"

Both Jun and Ui nodded before looking at the map to see where they needed to go.

"Mugi and myself will take the next room right here," Nodoka said as she pointed to a room a little further in. "Mio and Ritsu, you two should take the next to furthest room. This one right here… and Yui and Azusa-chan, I want you to take the main power room right here. It's the last room in this building and you should be able to get in just fine… but should you run into anything-"

"We'll be fine Nodoka-chan. I believe in us." Yui said firmly as she turned to Azusa and mustered the best confident smile that she could at this point in time.

Azusa smiled back a little before looking back at the map. She wanted to memorize what she could that way if they did run into something, she'd be able to get them out of there.

"Okay, since we have our destinations… I say we head there as fast as possible but with caution, and finish this task for Sachi-san." Nodoka said firmly as she rolled up the map and pocketed it before pulling out her flashlight that she got from Washi.

"Wait." Yui said as she stood up and looked over her friends before averting her eyes to the ground sadly. "I-If one of us d-doesn't make it… I don't want to leave them without… I mean it might be… stupid but…"  
"Yui. Do you want a group hug?" Ritsu asked as she smiled tenderly.

Yui sniffled softly at the suggestion but through her teary eyes, she nodded slightly.

The girls were touched by Yui's kind heart so they gathered close once more for a group hug, one that calmed their hearts a little.

"Thank you guys. Please don't leave me… let's make it out of here and go… home." Yui whispered to her friends as she pulled away and watched as her friends split up and began walking to their destinations in the dark cold building.

"Ui!" Yui yelled causing her sister to stop in her tracks and turn back around to stare at her. "Be careful okay? Mom and Dad may still be alright… so when this is over and everything… lets go back to them okay?" Yui asked as she felt tears slide down her cheeks.

Ui offered a smile to her big sister before nodding firmly.

"Yes… I'd like that. You be careful too Onee-chan."

The two sisters gave each other one last look before they went their separate ways.

Azusa followed Yui through the dark halls of the power plant while the older Hirasawa held a flashlight tightly in her hands as she constantly moved it towards any small noise she heard.

"Yui, are you going to be okay holding that… do you want me to take the flashlight?" Azusa asked as she walked a little closer to Yui to try and make her feel a little better, even though her heart was pounding just as hard in her chest.

"N-No, I'm… I'm okay. I'm just a little…"

"Scared?... Me too." Azusa admitted as her eyes darted back and forth, trying to focus in the dim light of the flashlight.

She could feel Yui shaking beside her as the two of them came to the large doors that sealed the main generators of the power plant and Yui gulped visibly when she noticed the blood stains on the door.

"Maybe we should go back… j-just say we couldn't do it." Yui mumbled softly, but Azusa caught every word.

"You know we can't do that… everyone else is doing their part, we can do ours… I'm sure it's not that bad, after all we haven't seen any actual dead bodies. So, maybe it was a random zombie that got cleaned out by the workers." Azusa said as she tried to comfort Yui into feeling a bit braver.

The brunette nodded slightly before reaching out to grab the door handle, shuddering when she felt the blood under her fingertips before pulling it open. It gave a very loud creaking noise before Yui instantly shinned the light into the area.

She saw a few more puddles of blood, but still no bodies as she and Azusa made their way into the room. Both of the girls groaned softly and held their noses at the smell of rotting flesh, even though no bodies were apparent.

"Ugh, let's just hurry up and turn on the power so we can get out of here… it smells horrible." Azusa said as she grabbed the flashlight from Yui as the two of them walked up to the control panel.

"Uhm…" Yui hummed to herself as she tilted her head and looked at all the buttons. "What button am I suppose to push?"

Azusa shinned the light on the control panel and began searching for anything that looked like a main power switch.

"I don't know, pick something that looks bigger than the rest? Or maybe that says on? I don't know… I've never actually been in a power plant before."

"I should have asked Nodoka-chan when I had the chance." Yui sighed softly before she finally spotted something that looked a little bigger than the normal buttons and it also had a lightning bolt above it. "Oh, maybe it's this one!" Yui pushed the button as she said this and the room sprung to life with many loud noises as well as the lights flickering on.

Azusa smiled happily as she gave Yui a pat on the back.

"See, that wasn't too difficult, now was it?"

Yui nodded firmly and gave a smile back to her kouhai.

Azusa was about to lead Yui out of the room when they both noticed a trail of green goo trailing from the door they walked through to a few inches behind them once they turned around to leave.

"Do you think it's a vomiter?" Yui asked in a low voice as she and Azusa both refused to look up to see what was above them.

"I don't know… I didn't hear anything when I came in." Azusa whispered back.

"W-Well we should… look up… r-ready?" Yui asked as she pulled her rifle off her back and held it at the ready, signaling Azusa to do the same.

Once they both had their guns ready and they were about to look up, something very large landed right behind them and gave a loud terrible noise that sounded like a cross between a scream and a roar.

The girls, fearing what was behind them, took off running towards the exit without looking back.

They didn't get far as the thing instantly caught up with them and Yui felt the wind get knocked out of her as something large and hard hit her in the back, sending her and Azusa both flying through a wall like it was paper.

Yui gasped for air as she scrambled to pull herself up; she could hear Azusa do the same beside her even though the pounding in her ears muffled it and her eyes shifted to the thing that was now a few feet from them.

It looked like a panzer; however it had a few new mutations to it. Its jaw was broken off and it was dripping what looked like the vomiter acid. It also had large boney spikes sticking out of its body in random places. Then Yui's eyes went to its large hands; its fist had large claws on them that were drenched in blood.

"A-Azusa, Azusa get up!" Yui yelled as she helped her kouhai to her feet as the panzer hybrid gave another chilling scream and began chasing after them once more once it noticed they were still alive.

Azusa stumbled a bit before Yui steadied her and the two of them turned to run down the hall to try and lose the zombie, even though both of them now felt the pain of being tossed through a wall all over their bodies.

Yui felt like her left shoulder had been popped out of place and the pain in them numbed her legs as she forced herself to keep running beside Azusa.

"Just run! Don't look back!" Yui heard Azusa yell out as the thing began closing in on them once more.

They twisted and weaved through the halls to try and lose the panzer when luck was finally with them and they heard the thing wander off in a different direction.

Yui leaned against the wall and caught her breath while Azusa got on her knees and panted loudly.

"We have to tell the others about that thing… we have to get out of here, it'll kill us." Azusa said between gasps of breath.

Yui nodded silently and she pulled Azusa to her feet and the two of them quickly made their way towards the other rooms where their friends would be.

* * *

"Did you hear that Mio?" Ritsu asked as she stood near the entrance of the door they had just walked though before looking down the dark hall towards where Yui and Azusa walked. "It sounded like someone screamed… maybe we should go check on them."

"We will after we turn on the power…" Mio said as she began fiddling with a few switches. "Damn it, why do none of these work?"

"You have to turn it on for it to work silly." Ritsu replied as she grinned while watching Mio push random buttons.

"Then you get over here and try; find it if you're so smart." Mio said irritably as she threw her hands into the air and handed Ritsu the flashlight.

"Oi, if you're not smart enough for this, what makes you think I am?" Ritsu replied as she walked over to the panel and began looking over the switches.

Mio pulled out her gun and looked back down the hall while Ritsu looked for the switch when Mio could vaguely hear something echoing down the dark hallway.

"Ritsu… I hear something."

"One moment, I think I found it."

"I'm serious, Ritsu! Something's heading here!"

"Here we go~" Ritsu said happily as she flipped the power on and the lights lit up the room and the hallway, giving Mio a perfect view of what was heading their way.

A large group of zombies scrambled down the hallway, some even tripping over each other as they tried to get to their new meal.

"Ritsu! Horde!" Mio yelled as she slammed the door shut and tried to barricade the door before the zombies began pounding on it, trying to break in.

Ritsu was instantly at Mio's side, pushing the door so it stayed shut while her girlfriend shoved anything big she could find in front of the door.

Ritsu grunted as the zombies pushed even harder to get through and she couldn't help but scream as a hand busted through the wood and grabbed her roughly around the neck.

Ritsu could feel her air passage close up from the harsh grip and as she gagged out for help, she could feel Mio grab the combat dagger off her belt and slice the zombie's hand clean off, allowing Ritsu to get away from the door.

"Ritsu, are you okay?" Mio asked worriedly, but she didn't get an answer as the door broke down and the things she had pushed in front of it got shoved aside as the zombies poured into the small room.

About that time, Ritsu had recovered her breath and was now using her rifle to fend off anything that got close to her and Mio.

The raven-haired bassist was slashing with the combat dagger while using the handgun to keep Ritsu's back protected.

The two of them actually did a very good job at keeping the zombies at bay.

Ritsu would take out anything from things that got too close to zombies that were far away while Mio actually did what she could to keep the zombies away from Ritsu's back.

Ritsu couldn't help but smile a little as she felt that she and Mio were in tune with each other once more, both protecting the other.

This was almost how she pictured it, but never had she thought she would be protecting Mio from zombies.

Mio felt this same sensation as she turned with Ritsu to continue beating back the zombies before they got any closer before her eyes caught sight of something that made her heart stop.

It looked like a pouncer, but its jaws were dripping with the all too familiar green goo of the vomiter.

But that wasn't what had Mio worried.

It was gazing at Ritsu with a look of pure hunger.

Mio could feel her heart beat faster in her chest as her pulse began to race.

It was going to pounce Ritsu.

And she knew, one bite from that thing and it was over.

Mio felt her eyes water as they shifted back to Ritsu, who was yelling something towards her while kicking a zombie over before shooting it in the head, but Mio couldn't hear her. Her pulse was beating so hard in her ears she was sure she had gone deaf.

They were both covered in blood by now, but that didn't matter; Mio didn't want to watch Ritsu get hurt.

She knew what she had to do.

It would have been nice to hear Ritsu laugh just once more before this point, but Mio knew she would never hear that sweet voice again.

_Gomen Ritsu. I love you._

Mio thought as she quickly moved right as the thing jumped, jaws open, ready for the best meal it's had all day.

Ritsu heard the noise, the loud screech of a pouncer, but she knew she wouldn't be able to move fast enough to get out of the way. So her body seized up and she waited for the impact.

When something hit her, she was shoved almost violently to the ground before she heard a sound that caused her blood to turn cold.

There was a soft very feminine gasp before the gashing of teeth met bone before two bodies hit the floor in the opposite direction from where Ritsu landed.

The drummer quickly pulled herself up and shot at a zombie that tried to take advantage of her being down before her wide eyes saw what had happened.

The pouncer hybrid had lunged, aiming for her, but Mio had shoved her out of the way at the last second.

"N-No…" Ritsu mumbled when she saw the pouncer kneeling over the unmoving form of her childhood friend.

No.

Over the body of her girlfriend and lover.

"No… No…"

The pouncer pulled its teeth from Mio's neck and the green goo dripped down to mix with the blood of its victim as Mio's lifeless stormy eyes stared into Ritsu's golden ones.

Something within Ritsu snapped the moment the pouncer turned and set its gaze on her.

Her lip upturned into a snarl as tears streamed down her face, her eyes suddenly becoming more feral looking as the pouncer once again lunged for her.

This time however, Ritsu reached for the combat dagger Mio had dropped and right as the thing got within her range. She reached out, grabbing the thing by the upper jaw, not minding the bite she got to her hand, as she angled the dagger and began repeatedly stabbing it over and over in the neck.

Blood coated her arms and hands as she shoved the very dead pouncer to the ground before turning towards the hissing bleeding zombies that were still eager to have a bit of her and the fresh meat lying not too far.

Ritsu stood over Mio's body and dropped the empty rifle to the ground before holding up the combat dagger in the offensive way as she glared furiously at the zombies.

"Come on… COME ON! Come and get it!" Ritsu yelled out; this action caused the zombies to rush her, each one of them wanting a piece.

Ritsu snarled loudly as she grabbed hold of one of the closest zombies and stabbed it in the chest, not even minding as even more blood coating her body as she shoved it away and slashed another zombies' head clean off that got too close.

She yelped in pain as a zombie got her from behind and dug its teeth into her sensitive shoulder, but she instantly twisted the dagger behind her and she felt the blade sink into the eye socket of the zombie biting her.

Pain meant nothing now as she punched, kicked, stabbed, and slashed at whatever got close to her. But as she continued to suffer bites of all sizes on her body, she began to feel her energy and life slowly leaving her as the numbers of zombies began dwindling.

It wasn't long before it was just her and one more of those damned hybrid pouncers.

Ritsu couldn't feel anything anymore. The pain from so many bites numbed her body and she could feel her heart slowing down as her vision blurred.

Blood dripped from her forehead, shoulders, arms and back as she struggled to stay on her feet.

The pouncer growled lowly as it began to hunch down, getting ready to pounce.

_Don't worry Mio… I'll be with you soon._

Ritsu held the bloodied combat dagger close and raised an arm to get ready to strike when a shot rang out and blood shot out from a wound inflicted in the pouncer's head as it fell lifelessly to the ground.

Ritsu's body shook violently as she collapsed to her knees.

"Ricchan!"

"Ritsu-senpai!"

The drummer fell to her front and she let out a soft groan as she heard footsteps getting closer before she heard someone scream and a loud gasp.

"M-Mio-chan! No!"

"O-Oh g-god."

"Y…. Y-Yui…." Ritsu mumbled as she felt someone push her onto her back, dulled golden eyes opened slightly to see a very teary eyed Yui staring down at her.

"R-Ricchan! W-What happened, M-Mio-chan's… s-she isn't breathing! W-Why a-are you so…"

"…t-they k-killed her… s-she's… d-dead." Ritsu said softly as if saying it out loud would help her come to terms with it.

"A-Azusa! Give me something! M-Maybe w-we can s-stop the bleeding-"  
"Y-Yui, I-I don't t-think-"  
"She's dying! We have to do something!"

"… p-private Y-Yui." Ritsu whispered, feeling a little more lightheaded as it began to get harder and harder for her to breath.

Yui turned back to her dying friend and let out a choking whimper.

"H-Hai, C-Commander?"

"…p-promise me… y-you'll keep g-going. N-No… don't j-just p-promise… you have t-to keep going… e-everything w-will be fine… y-you'll do that f-for us r-right?... f-for me a-and… M-Mio?"

Ritsu watched as Yui closed her eyes tightly and sobbed harshly as she shook her head firmly.

"Y-Yui… p-please… d-do that for me. T-Tell me… you'll g-go on."

"R-Ricchan… I… I c-can't… You have to be okay! W-We promised…"

Ritsu summoned the last of her strength to raise a hand and put it against Yui's cheek, not even feeling the tears mix with the blood on her hands as she smeared away some of the tears.

"… G-Gomen… a-at l-least… p-put me beside M-Mio… p-please… d-do that for me."

After a short moment, Yui nodded and she looked over at Azusa, who was crying just as hard as Yui was and the two of them helped Ritsu over towards Mio's body.

Yui placed Ritsu right beside their friend while Azusa knelt down and closed Mio's eyes with the tip of her fingers.

"S-Senpai..." Azusa whimpered out as she looked over both Mio and Ritsu sadly while Yui choked on her sobs.

"… A-Azusa… w-watch o-over Y-Yui… s-she'll need you." Ritsu whispered unable to keep her voice above a whisper anymore as she slipped her hand into Mio's and her head rested against the bloodied shoulder while her eyes slowly closed.

Azusa felt her heart get caught in her throat as she watched as Ritsu inhaled deeply.

"R-Ricchan… we can take you to the others, N-Nodoka-chan will know what to do… you and Mio both… you'll be fine…" Yui said firmly as she reached out to touch Ritsu's face once the drummer had shut her eyes.

When Ritsu didn't respond Yui grabbed her shoulder and shook her slightly.

"Ricchan?..." Yui felt her throat tighten up and she pulled her hands away from Ritsu when she noticed her friend's chest no longer rose with labored breaths.

"Yui… we need to go. C-Come on, that thing is still c-chasing us." Azusa said softly, trying to calm the nerves in her own body from witnessing two of their best friends die.

Yui stared down at her friends and let out a choking sob before the wall to that room was busted down by the panzer hybrid.

Both Yui and Azusa knew they didn't have any more time to mourn for their friends as they took off running once more, the adrenaline renewed in their systems as they ran for their lives.

* * *

"Okay… flipping this switch should do the trick." Nodoka whispered to herself as she flicked her finger over the power button and smiled brightly when the lights came on and the machines in the room roared to life. "Excellent. Mugi, that was easier than I thought it'd be."

The blonde gave Nodoka a smile as the bespectacled girl climbed down from the control panel and gave her a firm hug.

Tsumugi suppressed a shudder that ran through her as she hugged back before she turned towards the hallway and stared sadly at it.

"Do you think the others are okay?" Tsumugi asked as she pulled away from the hug to stare into those tired dark brown eyes.

Nodoka was about to answer when she noticed how pale Tsumugi looked. Her worry escaladed when she felt how cold Tsumugi's hands were.

"Mugi… why are-"  
The two of them jumped back away from each other at the sound of a collection of roars.

Nodoka pushed her worry back as Tsumugi and her got their weapons out and got ready for the inevitable rush that was about to collapse on their spot.

The wall to their left cracked open as a large group of zombies poured in like ants, jaws dripping with blood ready for the kill. But Tsumugi and Nodoka were ready; they began to fire right as the zombies broke through taking them out as they tried to get into the room through the wall.

Some of the zombies got a little smarter and instead of going through the broken down wall, they decided to try and trick the humans by going through the opened door.

One of the zombies even thought it was going to get a bite of one of the girls as it ran up towards Nodoka, but the blunt end of Tsumugi's gun slammed into the side of its head knocking it senseless before she shot it twice in the head with her handgun, killing it.

Tsumugi then took her rifle and began to shoot anything that tried to come in through the door while Nodoka took the wall.

It wasn't long before they both ran out of bullets, but by that time the last of the zombies had been beaten back and they were once again safe.

Nodoka let out a shaky sigh as she dropped the rifle to the ground and she placed a hand on her sweat-drenched face.

"Mugi… are you okay?" Nodoka asked once the threat was over.

"H-Hai… just got… a lot of adrenaline running through me. You're okay right?" Tsumugi asked as she turned her dulled blue eyes on the bespectacled girl.

"Yeah. I'm good… we should get out of here fast. Being trapped in one place when a rush happens is very dangerous." Nodoka replied as she stood up and walked towards the door. "Follow me close behind okay? I don't want to lose you as we run to the exit."

Tsumugi didn't say anything, but she did nod softly as the two of them began running down the hallways. Shortly after, the blonde stopped following Nodoka and watched as the girl ran off into the darkness, not even realizing she had stopped.

Nodoka was trying to formulate a plan in her head; if she could find the others and get them out of their fast enough everything should be fine right? They were more likely to survive in big numbers after all.

"Yui was right… why didn't I listen to her Mugi! I'm such an idiot…" Nodoka said to herself as she quickly turned a corner. When her girlfriend didn't answer, that's when Nodoka finally realized something was amiss.

She stopped running and turned to look behind her. When all she saw was darkness, her heart began racing even more.

"…Mugi?..." Nodoka whimpered out as her eyes began wide with fear. "MUGI!"

Nodoka ignored the fact that this was a bad idea and pulled out her last weapon, a handgun, and ran back into the dark hallways the way she came to try and locate just where she had lost Tsumugi.

Each time she turned a corner, she would scream out the blonde name, hoping she'd answer back.

Finally Nodoka turned a corner and saw Tsumugi kneeling by the wall, looking completely lifeless as she rested her head against the cold wall, back turned to Nodoka.

"Mugi…? Are you okay? You had me worried back there when you stopped following me…" Nodoka said as she placed a hand over her heart, trying to calm it down as she walked over towards the girl she had fallen for. "Come on… get up. We need to get to the others."

Nodoka frowned a little when Tsumugi didn't move or even acknowledge the fact that she was there.

"Mugi? Are you… okay?" Nodoka asked as she finally knelt down behind the blonde and reached out to touch her shoulder, but once her flashlight hit a certain angle and the light showed Tsumugi's hands Nodoka instantly retracted her hand before it even touched the girl.

Nodoka could feel her heart pound against her ribs as she moved back away from Tsumugi once she noticed what was wrong.

Tsumugi's hands were now clawed, like the screamer and the little ones.

"N-No… i-it… Mugi… t-that's why y-you were…" Nodoka mumbled softly as tears appeared in her wide fearful eyes.

Nodoka wasn't watching where she was going as she backed away from Tsumugi and her feet got tangled up in some wires and metal, causing her to trip and the metal to scrape loudly on the floor.

Tsumugi snapped her head towards the sound, blood red eyes staring into dark terrified brown.

"M-Mugi-"

The blonde screeched loudly and quickly got to her feet and began to sprint towards the downed girl, but Nodoka quickly untangled herself from the mess and scrambled to her feet to run away from the enraged zombified girl.

It didn't matter where she ran as long as she didn't have to face the zombie that was once someone she held dearly.

No, not even that, she couldn't kill Tsumugi, there was just no way. So she didn't; instead she ran as fast as she could away from the zombie.

* * *

"W-We lost it again." Azusa said as she held onto the wall next to her and gasped for breath.

Yui was doing the same, yet she was kneeling on the ground heaving like she was about to vomit.

"Y-Yui… are you okay?" Azusa asked while kneeling next to the heartbroken brunette.

Yui didn't answer at first, but soon she quickly wrapped her arms around her kouhai and sobbed loudly into her shoulder while hugging her.

"No! Of course I'm not okay! R-Ricchan and Mio-chan are d-d-d-d," Yui choked on the word so she completely gave up trying to say it before crying out loudly once more, "I-I knew this plan was a bad idea… h-had we stayed together… w-we wouldn't have lost them!"

Azusa felt tears once more in her eyes as she closed them tightly to try and keep them at bay, trying to be strong for the older girl as she broke down.

"Y-Yui… all we can do now is get out of here and hope the others get out as well." Azusa whispered as she tried to soothe Yui's fears and pains by stroking up and down her back. "Come on now, get up. Let's get out of here while that thing isn't chasing us."

Yui nodded slowly before pulling herself to her feet and she turned the corner beside them only to have something bump into her very hard, knocking her and the person over.

"A-Ah… Y-Yui? A-Azusa-chan?" Nodoka said in shock and still hysterical over what had happened to her and yet she couldn't believe she had literally run into the two girls.

"Nodoka-san! Are you okay? Azusa asked when she noticed how pale and terrified she looked.

It was then Nodoka remembered what she was running from.

"N-No! W-We need to get out of here!"  
"We know, there's this thing following us that-"  
"No you don't understand, Azusa-chan! Mugi is-"

Azusa helped Yui to her feet as Nodoka pulled herself up quickly right as the zombified Tsumugi rounded the corner and snarled loudly at the small group of girls.

Nodoka hear both Azusa and Yui pull their rifles up and trained them on the zombie.

"Wait NO!" Nodoka yelled as she got between them and Tsumugi.

"What are you doing? That thing's going to ki-"  
"That's Mugi! Don't shoot her!" Nodoka yelled causing both Yui and Azusa to gasp loudly.

"W-wha-" Yui started, but didn't get to finish as the zombified Tsumugi lunged towards her, sprinting faster to get a bite of one of the girls.

Yui let out a startled yell as Nodoka quickly got between her and Tsumugi once more and she opened her arms wide as Tsumugi dove, claws out in front of her. But Nodoka didn't run; she felt the body hit her own and pain blossom throughout her being, but she quickly wrapped her arms around Tsumugi, hugging her tightly as the zombie bit into her neck.

Yui watched horrified as those claws penetrated Nodoka's prone body, going clear through her as she and Tsumugi tumbled to the ground as blood splattered the ground while Nodoka gave a strangled gasp of pain.

Nodoka's glasses hit the ground and broke in half from the force behind the tackle.

"NODOKA-CHAN!" Yui yelled out as she pulled her gun up once more.

That zombie may be another one of her close friends, but she didn't want to see Nodoka get torn apart by her.

So with a very heavy heart and tears streaming down her face, Yui quickly ran up to the zombified Tsumugi and shot her over and over to get her to release Nodoka.

Yui dropped her rifle to the ground right as Tsumugi's body fell over onto its side, lifeless once more.

"O-o-o-oh g-g-god." Yui whimpered shakily as she stared at the palms of her hands. They were now stained with her friend's blood.

Sweet, caring and kind Tsumugi.

"Y-Yui?" Azusa whimpered out after watching what had just happened.

"I…I-I-I k-killed… M-Mugi-chan." Yui said as she swallowed many times, as if trying to kept the contents of her stomach down from the horrible thing she had just done. "O-Oh g-god… oh god…"

Azusa wanted nothing more than to comfort Yui, but she knew it was useless. Tsumugi was one of the sweetest people she had ever met, and she understood how Yui felt.

Then she realized something.

Nodoka was still breathing.

"Y-Yui! Nodoka-san is still alive!" Azusa yelled as she knelt down next to the girl and looked over her bloodied body worriedly when she noticed how harshly Nodoka was trying to breathe.

Yui quickly crawled over to her childhood friend and hovered over her while looking down at her with wide fearful eyes.

"Nodoka-chan! N-Nodoka-chan! P-Please get up! I…I don't want to lose you too! P-Please!" Yui yelled as she placed a hand against her friend's face, giving her a harmless pat on the cheek to try and keep her awake.

Nodoka's eyes fluttered a little as she stared up almost lifelessly at Yui. It was getting very difficult for her to breath; it felt like her lungs were full of water, yet she knew better.

"Nodoka-chan… y-you h-have to be okay… w-we were g-going to g-go h-home. Remember?" Yui asked as she brushed a hair out of Nodoka's face.

"…h-home…" Nodoka mumbled softly, almost too soft for Yui to hear. "…t-that'd b-be… w-wonderful…"

Yui almost screamed when she watched Nodoka's body shudder a little before going limp, her eyes closing as a small tear trailed down her cheek.

"N-Nodoka-chan?... N-Nodoka-chan!" Yui yelled out hysterically as she quickly buried her face into her childhood friend's chest, fists gripping her shirt tightly as she cried loudly into the bloody mess.

Azusa sobbed softly as she watched Yui almost completely lose it once Nodoka took that final breath. It was almost too painful to watch as Yui tried hard to get Nodoka to get up even though it was hopeless.

Finally the kouhai had enough, she quickly made her way over to Yui and grabbed her tightly by the shoulders and tried her best to pull her away from the bespectacled girl's body.

"Y-Yui! P-Please, s-stop, there's nothing we can do for her!"

"N-No I'm not leaving her! I c-can't leave her too! NO!" Yui yelled out as she struggled to get out of Azusa's hold before the kouhai quickly move in front of Yui and hugged her tightly to stop her from trying to go back to Nodoka.

"There's n-nothing more you can do for her!" Azusa yelled as tears streamed down her face. "P-please let's just get out of here, please." The younger guitarist begged as she hugged Yui even tighter once she felt the older Hirasawa stop struggling before she buried her face into Azusa's hair and cried loudly against her.

Azusa gasped when Yui suddenly pulled away, a look of realization on her face as she stood up and turned towards the hallway that led to the exit.

"Ui."

'W-What?" Azusa asked, not really hearing what Yui said before she watched as the brunette took off down the hallway.

"Ui! She's still alive! She has to be! We have to find her!" Yui yelled as she ran towards a closed door.

"Yui wait-" Azusa yelled as she got to her feet to follow, but was cut off by the screaming roar of the hybrid panzer.

The door Yui had opened revealed the zombie and it reacted much more quickly than poor Yui and Azusa screamed as she watched it smack Yui across the hallway before she skidded to a stop right in front of the stunned kouhai.

Azusa quickly got down to help Yui up, but right as she pulled on Yui's arm she felt a warm liquid on her hands as well as heard Yui yelp in pain.

"A-Ah! M-My arm!" Yui yelled out as she struggled to get up with Azusa's help.

Azusa surveyed Yui's arm and noticed a large gash from the panzer's claws running up and down the length of Yui's left shoulder and didn't get to do much about it as the panzer closed in on them once more.

Azusa quickly pulled Yui along as they dodged the large arm before Yui looked down and saw the flare gun that Nodoka had been carrying.

With some massively quick thinking on her part she bent down as they passed by and turned around.

"Yui what are you do-"  
Right as Azusa turned to see what Yui was planning, she watched in amazement as Yui shot the panzer in the face with the flare, causing the monster temporary blindness as it began trashing around madly.

"Run Azusa!"

The two of them quickly got away from the panzer once more while Yui put the flare gun on her belt, that way when they got out of the power plant, they'd be able to signal the other carriers.

But right now she had more important things to do.

She had to find Ui.

* * *

She didn't understand how it happened, one minute her and Jun were turning on the power on the control panel, then the next they were running for their lives towards the exit while trying to kill the flood of zombies that had tried to ambush them.

Ui was thankful for Jun's quick reactions as the pigtailed girl tugged her along as they shot and ran at the same time.

It wasn't long before the final zombie fell and they were now in the open lobby of the power plant, just feet away from the exit.

Jun sat down hard on the floor and tilted her head back to pant for air; sweat dripped from her brow as her body shook from exhaustion.

"A-Ah… oh god… I thought we were… gonna die." Jun said between pants as her violet eyes looked up at Ui who flopped down next to her to pant as well.

"M-Me too… God I'm so happy you got us out of there as fast as you did…" Ui replied as she slide her fingers across the knuckles of Jun's hand before the violet eyed girl shifted her hand so they could intertwine their fingers together.

"Yeah… whew…" Jun panted out as she inhaled deeply before allowing her body to relax. "Say… Ui?"

Ui hummed as she felt her stomach drop below her navel and a cold feeling of dread replaced the relaxed feeling.

"D-Did… do you have this… really bad feeling that something happened?" Jun asked as she squeezed Ui's hand tighter. She could feel the brunette shaking slightly before she turned her chocolate eyes to Jun.

"Yeah… I do. You don't think…"  
"No no they should be fine… they're with each other right now. I-I… they have to be okay." Jun said softly as she gave Ui a gentle kiss on the cheek.

Ui smiled at Jun's optimism before she stood up and looked at the exit.

"We should get out of here while we can; maybe Goro and the others are out there right now."

"Hai, that sounds like a pla-a-augh!"

Ui's eyes went wide as she watched a spike impale itself in Jun's right shoulder before the tip of it stuck out through her chest.

"JUN-CHAN!" Ui yelled out desperately as the spike suddenly wiggled its way completely through Jun and began wrapping tightly around you before yanking her backwards; causing the young bassist to scream in pain before Ui quickly grabbed hold on the other arm and tried to tug her back.

Blood began to ooze from the wound inflicted upon Jun by the tongue, as Ui now realized, as the brunette shot a look at what had a hold on her friend and lover.

There, behind Jun, was a zombie Ui had never seen before. It was spiky like the spiker she had seen before, yet it had a hold on Jun like a tonguer.

"G-Ga-aah! U-Ui!" Jun yelled out as tears coursed down her cheeks as Ui continued to try and pull her back to the ground.

After a moment of struggling with the thing Ui finally gave up and grabbed the handgun on her belt and shot at the zombie without looking. A bullet pierced the tongue and both she and Jun collapsed to the floor as the zombie shrieked in pain and disappeared into the darkness.

Ui quickly recovered from the fall and she tugged the tongue out of Jun's shoulder as carefully as she could, and it hurt her to do so as Jun let out several loud screams of pain as she removed the tongue.

Ui then noticed that the gaping wound in her friend's shoulder was low enough that it could have possibly punctured her lung.

"J-Jun-chan… y-you're going to be okay… just stay with me alright?" Ui pleaded once she realized Jun was coughing up large amounts of blood as she reached up to clutch the wound tightly.

"U-Ui…a-ah…u-ui it h-hurts." Jun cried softly as her face scrunched up tightly in pain while her body arched slightly, blood began dripping from her lips while her body shook violently.

"S-Shhh… I k-know it does. B-but don't worry, I-I'll get you out of here." Ui replied tearfully as she tried to look for anything she could use to bandage the wound.

She was about to reach for her gun that had ended up a few feet away from her when sudden pain struck her arm.

To her horror, she noticed the same spiked tongue sticking completely through her arm before it began to wrap itself tightly around her arm and it yanked her into the air away from Jun.

She could hear Jun yell out before she was suspended in the air, face to face with the large spiky tonguer.

Ui swallowed back a sob of pain as blood began to flow down her arm from the wound as the zombie gurgled happily in front of her face.

She tried to reach for the rifle on her back, but as her hand touched the finger hold, something slithered up the back of her shirt and it suddenly became much harder to breath.

It took Ui a moment to realize what had just happened as she tilted her head down to the middle of her chest and she saw why she suddenly felt pain.

The zombie had impaled her straight through her chest from her back and it was almost like it was laughing at her as she struggled to breathe as blood began to fill her lungs.

She let out choking gasp, coughing up the blood in her throat as she slowly tried to reach for her rifle once more even as the spiky tongue wiggled in against her insides.

It was about to devour her when a shot rang out and the tonguer dropped Ui unceremoniously on the floor, which caused the young Hirasawa to finally grab hold of the rifle and she fired a few rounds into its face before it finally collapsed in a puddle of its own blood.

Ui dropped the rifle and tried desperately to pull herself up, but her body refused to move once the danger was over. She could still feel the spiked tongue in her chest, though she was thankful it no longer moved; however she knew her time was very short.

She couldn't breathe and her vision was getting darker.

"…J-Jun…" Ui muttered as she turned her head slightly in the direction where her friend was.

She felt more tears in her eyes when she noticed Jun staring back at her, eyes completely lifeless and her gun lying limply in her open hand.

She was gone, but not without trying to help Ui.

Ui let out a choked cry as she turned her head back up towards the ceiling and stared at the blackness that was slowly closing in on her.

"…g-gomen… ne…. o-onee-chan… g-gom…en…" Ui whispered sadly as her breathing finally stopped and her mind ceased to think.

* * *

"This is the way out! Quickly, maybe Ui is out there since she wasn't in the room!" Yui yelled while running towards the slightly closed doors. She was a bit concerned when she saw the many bodies of zombies that had been shot all over the hallway she and Azusa were running through, but it gave her hope that her sister was still alive along with Jun.

"Wait for me Yui! You're running too fast!" Azusa yelled out as she panted loudly. Her legs were screaming for her to stop, but Yui was in no such mood. She had one thing on her mind and that was to find her little sister, the most important person to her on the face of this earth other then Azusa herself.

"She'll be right through these doors, she'll be outside; I just know it!" Yui yelled out as she reached the doors and she flung them open before her legs began to move once more.

However, she felt her foot hit something and she tripped over whatever it was before smacking the floor hard.

"Yui!… o-oh… n-n-no."

Yui heard Azusa whimper this sentence and she slowly pulled herself up and surveyed her surroundings with care.

Chocolate eyes fell on the dead body of Jun, whose eyes still stared unblinkingly towards her. The gaping hole in her chest told Yui more then she wanted to know as she slowly pulled herself to her knees.

She heard a loud sob from Azusa and that told her she didn't want to turn around to see what she tripped over.

However, Yui couldn't stop herself.

She held her breath and turned her head to look on the ground behind her.

Her heart shattered.

Her beloved sister lay just a few inches from her, bloodied and not breathing.

"Y-Yu-"

Yui shook her head firmly as she scooted towards her sister's body and looked down into the pale face as tears fell onto the cold skin.

Yui could feel her body shake even more as she slid her arms around Ui's body and held her close, cradling her tightly.

"No… n-not Ui… n-not m-my sister…" Yui whispered as she pressed her lips against Ui's forehead as she slid her fingers through the matted and bloody hair. "U-Ui… w-wake up… p-please… n-not you too…"

Azusa could bear to look at Yui as the older of the Hirasawa's sobbed over her sister's body; it was just too much for the twin-tailed girl. She sniffled softly as she tried to calm herself down, but this was too much.

Her senpai, as well as her two best friends, were dead.

It was just her and Yui left, yet Azusa didn't know how much of Yui was still intact. She figured the death of her sister probably shattered whatever was left of her psyche, but Azusa had to at least try to get Yui to get out of there.

After she walked over to Jun to close her eyes Azusa slowly brought herself to Yui's side and got down behind her and placed a hand on her back, feeling just how badly the brunette was shaking as she rocked back and forth with Ui in her arms.

"Y-Yui… w-we're so close… l-let's just leave this place… g-get away f-from everything. I… I don't want to be here… n-not to sound disrespectful… or something like that but… t-they'd want us to-"  
"N-no… n-no…" Yui mumbled over and over as she buried her face against Ui's head, trying to imagine a better time as she hugged her sister closer.

"Yui…please." Azusa begged softly as she put her forehead against Yui's back, crying softly into the fabric of her shirt.

She was too busy trying to convince Yui to get up that she didn't hear something creeping up behind her.

She didn't hear the soft gurgling noise accompanied by a hiss as the thing behind her opened its jaws, spiked tongue snaking out for the kill.

But Yui did hear it.

And Azusa was startled when Yui suddenly whirled around with a rifle, eyes looking completely feral as she shot at the zombie behind Azusa.

The kouhai heard the sound of bone and muscle squishing before a body flopped beside her.

She looked down and noticed that the body was missing a head now as well as she looked at Yui wide eyed with fear.

The brunette laid her sister back down on the ground gently before she stood up and turned to face Azusa once more.

"Let's get out of here." Yui said firmly as she pulled the still shocked kouhai to her feet and the two of them began to run once more.

Yui got to the doors of the exit and kicked it open before continuing there ran.

_We're the only ones left. I have to protect Azusa. I can't let those things happen to her. She deserves to survive._

Yui thought as she tugged Azusa along before she let go to stop in the middle of the open space outside.

There was nothing around.

No zombies.

No military.

No carriers.

Yui panted heavily as her wide eyes glanced around a bit before she pulled the flare gun off her belt and held it up to the sky.

She shot into the air and sighed softly as it exploded, bathing the area in a soft green glow.

"W-We made it Azusa… w-we're out of there." Yui whispered softly as she put a hand over her heart. They had been running so long that they were completely exhausted and running off of nothing but pure adrenaline.

"H-Hai Yui… w-we'll give them a proper burial… I-I promise." Azusa said sadly as she walked towards her lover.

She was about to grab her hand when something wet and slimy wrapped around her waist, neck and arm, before yanking her backwards back into the power plant.

"YUI!" Azusa yelled out desperately as she watched her senpai turn around with terror in her eyes.

"No no no no no no no NO!" Yui yelled out as she grabbed her rifle once more and chased after Azusa and the tonguer that had grabbed her. She was thankful it was just a normal tonguer and not a hybrid one like the one that killed Ui and Jun.

She finally caught up to Azusa and wrapped an arm around her kouhai as she unloaded the last of her ammo into the tonguer's body making it's tongue snap off and Azusa to come tumbling into Yui's arms.

The brunette dropped the now useless weapon onto the ground and she hugged Azusa close while shaking out of fear.

_I almost lost her…_

"T-Thank you Yui…" Azusa said softly as she smiled up gratefully into Yui's face.

Yui forced a smile onto her lips and she leaned in to kiss Azusa.

But she didn't get to give that kiss.

Yui noticed the wall behind Azusa explode open as the panzer that had been chasing them earlier barged through.

She didn't get to scream as she watched the thing slam its fist into the back of Azusa with enough force to rocket both of them through the exit doors, across the open space outside before they both flipped and tumbled on the rocky ground before Yui was knocked unconscious for a few moments.

When Yui was finally able to open her eyes, she felt like every bone in her body was either broken or close to it as everything began to sharpen in her vision.

Her chocolate eyes began to frantically search for Azusa, hoping somehow the younger guitarist was okay.

"A-Azusa…" Yui whimpered out as she slowly lifted herself up, crying out as she felt one of her ribs rub against another.

Of course, the pain didn't matter once her eyes fell onto the unmoving body of her lover not too far from her.

"…A-Azu…" Yui choked out as she began to drag herself with one arm towards Azusa's body. She wasn't moving, she wasn't breathing, and it looked like she had suffered a more deadly blow to the head from the smack that she must have died on contact with the ground.

It was about that time that Yui just stopped moving. She just laid there on the ground staring at Azusa's body as tears once more began to flow down her bloodied cheeks.

Then Yui heard a huff and a loud roar before something came charging towards her once more.

_I don't care… as long as I can be with my friends once again… I don't care._

Yui thought as she felt a giant fist slam down onto her prone body.

She let out screams of pain as the panzer began beating her already broken body furiously. Bones that were close to breaking snapped on contact, her ribs cracked under the force of each punch and blood poured out of her mouth with each scream.

Just when she thought the pain would get any worse, she heard men yelling, then gunfire.

The panzer's attacks stopped and it charged towards the men that had showed up at the power plant.

Yui could hear the battle rage on for a little bit before the hybrid panzer took its final breath and collapsed to the ground.

It was finally dead.

"Jesus! There are two girls over here! F-Fuck one's already dead…" Yui heard a man yell before she felt someone turn her over onto her back, which caused a surge of fresh pain to course through her entire being.

"Sir this one is still alive! Holy fuck-"  
"Let me see… oh God."

Yui felt her breathing get more labored as blood filled her mouth when she saw the familiar face of Washi bend down in her view.

"I…I told you… why didn't you listen."

Yui shook her head slightly and turned to look towards Azusa once more as she slowly reached out with her broken arm towards her kouhai, her friend… her lover.

_Azusa…_

Fingertips touched just barely as the edges of Yui's vision turned dark and slowly she faded into blackness.

* * *

Author Note: FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF, you have no idea how emotionally taxing this chapter was. As much as I enjoyed working on this, I did not like writing the end. ;A; My pooor K-ON girls! I'll be writing a happy end for this, because I WANT ONE, and I need one after this! Plus I'll be writing fluff for the rest of my life to get over this. XD Anyways be looking for the happy ending chapter soon and… yeah… don't kill me. –dives for cover-

Beta Note: Because I'm tired of looking at this, Yui's magic flare gun has two shots.

Well? What did you guys think? I put so much planning into this story and it's not even mine. XD Originally we were going to end on a happy note, but decided this was ten times more epic. Buuut I guess my poor Wolfie is now depressed and wants to write a happy ending. So don't be surprised if this gets updated one more time. Consider it a bonus chapter. XD


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